Twice Shy
by sinemoras09
Summary: Kazuma and Bishamon navigate a new relationship. Series of oneshots and drabbles. Kazuma/Bishamon. AU. Spoilers through chapter 55. Complete.
1. Part 1: Twice Shy

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The first thing Kazuma is aware of, when he starts to regain consciousness, is the pain. It is a dull, aching pain that sits deep along the gash in his chest, but when he shifts the pain is sharp, searing. Blood seeps through his bandages; he finds it difficult to breathe.

The second thing Kazuma is aware of, as his eyes blearily crack open, is the warmth of his bed, the soft mattress beneath him sinking with his weight. Warm blankets, warm sunlight. Veena lying next to him.

His mind isn't quite working, yet. All he sees, as his vision comes into focus, is Veena's face, just a finger's breadth away from his. Her eyes are closed and she's breathing softly.

"Veena."

"Kazuma."

Her eyes open. She smiles at him, and without thinking Kazuma tilts his head upward and presses a soft kiss to the side of her mouth.

He closes his eyes, contentedly. His thoughts are fuzzy. He burrows his face against her neck, sighing quietly before passing out.

When he comes to consciousness a few days later, he has a vague, uneasy memory about what could have possibly transpired between them. But Veena makes no mention of it, and after a few days of passing back and forth her exchange diary, Kazuma decides there's no way to be sure if it in fact actually happened, and that it was probably best to let the matter drop.

xXx

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Once again, Yato causes havoc in the Bishamon household. "Didn't you know? He has _a ton_ of pictures of you on his phone!"

Veena knits her brow. "You mean the group pictures we all took together?"

"Yeah, before he _cropped them all out_." Yato grins wickedly. Kazuma feels his whole world crashing all around him.

Veena holds up one of Yato's doujinshi: R18, with a picture of a half-naked Bishamon cavorting as a lion. Yato's art skills are something of considerable merit, and if one were to flip through the pages, one would see an expertly drawn rendition of Veena masturbating with a lotus flower as she takes her bath.

"Start talking, Kazuma. I'm all ears."

xXx

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Kazuma escapes to his room. While he had managed to deflect the onslaught - Yato was his benefactor, he was never in the wrong! - his face is still red from embarrassment. Certainly it is not enough to sting his master - how one chooses to worship his god depends on one's personal preference, and if the way Kazuma worships Veena is a little unorthodox, it does not make it any more unseemly. It isn't lust, perverted schoolboy thoughts that would reduce a mighty god into a body with a hole for his pleasure. It is the outgrowth of his devotion for her, and while less seasoned shinki may sting her from the loneliness of harboring an unrequited love, Kazuma understands completely that his love for her cannot be reciprocated. He is fine with that, has been fine with that. And if he touches himself from time to time, he understands it is a base human need for which there is nothing to be ashamed.

It is, however, still somewhat embarrassing to be found out.

There is a soft knocking at his door.

"Kazuma?" Veena opens the door a crack, poking her head in. "Is everything all right?"

"Did I sting you?" Kazuma says, alarmed.

"No, of course not. May I come in?"

Kazuma nods dully and Veena gently opens the door.

She sits beside him on the bed, and it takes Kazuma a flustered moment to realize she's holding the doujinshi Yato had drawn for him. "That rat bastard really is a good artist, isn't he?" Veena says mildly, and Kazuma feels his face growing even more red as she flips to the more suggestive parts of the comic. "Hm. He draws my breasts as big as my head. I don't think this is terribly accurate, do you?"

"Uh..." Kazuma stares at her. "I believe the term is 'artistic license,'" he says, with all the authority and gravitas as he can muster. "But I would be lying to say I was not impressed."

"I see." Veena flips through the comic some more, and Kazuma wonders to himself if she is doing this deliberately to punish him. _I deserve this_ , Kazuma thinks, miserably. Veena flips to another page.

"I am just trying to understand," Veena says, and she flips through the pages again. "How is it that you've had this and you've never stung me. I would just assume you bought this from Yato to humor him, and that you never looked at these or thought of me that way. But I don't know that I can do that. I don't know if you remember, Kazuma, but you kissed me before, back when you were injured. And ever since then I've been greatly troubled."

She looks up at him, quietly. Kazuma stares at her, his mouth suddenly dry. With each passing moment he grows more and more horrified.

"I humbly apologize!" Kazuma says, and he throws himself at her feet. "I was heavily medicated, I was not thinking straight! Please forgive me, Veena! _Bishamon-sama!_ I truly am rubbish not worthy of your attention!"

"For heaven's sakes, Kazuma, calm down!"

Kazuma lifts his eyes to see Veena glaring at him, a pink blush growing along her cheeks.

"It was not unwelcome," Veena says. Kazuma blinks at her, not comprehending. "I had just assumed you didn't remember, and I didn't want to bring it up, but Yato drew these things for you, and you have those pictures on your phone, and I...I don't know how we're going to go about doing this, but instead of bottling things up we should put things out in the open, should we not?"

"I don't understand," Kazuma says. Veena blushes again, not looking at him.

"This is difficult for me," Veena says. "I would much rather pretend it didn't happen and go along together as we always did. But you have always been someone precious to me," Veena says, and her eyes flick upwards. "Kofuku and Daikoku have been happily coupled for some time now, there is no reason why a relationship like this can't work."

She isn't looking at him. Kazuma knows, from all that time he's been at her side, that she's nervous, battle-ready. She twists a lock of hair in her hands, glaring at her lap. Kazuma's eyes widen.

 _Could it be...? Could Veena actually...?_

"I wouldn't be forcing you, would I?" Veena looks suddenly unsure. "You had this stupid comic and all those photos, I thought... Kazuma. If I somehow misunderstood you-"

"No," Kazuma says. He shakes his head. "No, Veena. I- I've been in love with you for a very long time. I never thought something like this would be possible."

She smiles shyly, then hesitantly leans forward to kiss him. The kiss is warm and soft and Kazuma feels himself flushing, heatedly.

"Wait Veena, wait," Kazuma says, pulling back before he loses himself completely and does something Veena might later regret. "We must think about the others. A relationship between a god and her lead could cause discord within the clan."

"That isn't a problem," Veena says. "Actually, Aiha and Tsuguha have been pestering me about you ever since your confession to me, and Kinuha seems to think it's 'cute.'"

"'Cute?'" Kazuma says. Veena smiles.

"You should look at the exchange diary when you get a chance. It seems a lot of the shinki have been rooting for you.

I'm sorry for not saying anything," Veena says. "But after everything that happened, and that kiss afterwards, it was difficult for me to get my head straight."

"I understand," Kazuma says. Veena smiles.

"Just let me work out the logistics," Veena says. "I have to disclose this among the other gods. But I promise you, we'll talk about this more, soon."


	2. The Binbougami's Advice

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 _This,_ Bishamon thinks, as she feels another stinging sensation at the base of her neck, _is not going to work_.

"For heaven's sakes, Kazuma, why are you stinging me?" Bishamon says. Kazuma's shirt is unbuttoned and his glasses are off, but he doesn't look at her, blushing furiously as she takes his hand and palms it against her breast. "You've seen me naked plenty of times before!"

"Bishamon-sama, forgive me! I am not used to this."

Bishamon sighs. He's only ever called her "Bishamon-sama" in front of her other shinki, and now that they've been intimate, he's been increasingly more awkward.

"You were licking my nipple earlier, you don't have to be so formal," Bishamon says.

"I humbly apologize, Bishamon-sama! Er, Veena," Kazuma says.

"Okay," Bishamon says, and she peels his hand away from her chest. "Kazuma. Whenever you call me 'Bishamon-sama,' we're going to stop whatever it is that we're doing. I'm your master. I need to be sure that I'm not forcing you."

Kazuma looks at her as if he's been slapped across the face. "You're not forcing me," Kazuma says.

"Even so," Bishamon says, and she carefully starts buttoning up Kazuma's shirt. "I need to make sure I'm not taking advantage of you. This is important to me, Kazuma. I don't want to do anything you don't want to do."

"If that's the case, Veena..." Kazuma is blushing. He doesn't look at her. "I would like to continue what we were doing," he says.

They aren't able to continue.

Kazuma keeps stinging her. One moment, they're kissing, lying flush against each other as they're grinding against their bodies; the next, a harsh sting that makes Bishamon jerk up and Kazuma apologize.

He doesn't sting her when she takes the lead, but when she rolls him onto his back, pulling off his clothes and rubbing her mouth against his body, Bishamon will remember that he is her shinki, she was the one who gave him his name, and the power imbalance will make her stop unexpectedly.

"It seems we are at an impasse," Kazuma says, ruefully. Bishamon regrettably pulls on her clothes.

"How is it that you've been able to look at this and not sting me all these years, and yet when I finally give you permission you sting me all over the place?" Bishamon says. She flips open the comic to a two-page spread of herself being penetrated by a faceless man, her breasts bouncing and her face contorted in an exaggerated flush. "Really, Kazuma. It should be the other way around."

"I suppose...after all I've done to you, Veena, I haven't entirely forgiven myself. I feel that I'm not worthy."

Kazuma doesn't look at her when he says it. Absolute honesty was one of the rules they decided on when they embarked on this relationship, and as foolish as it sounds, she knows he's being completely honest. Bishamon smiles at him and fluffs his hair fondly. Kazuma smiles.

"But more to the point, Veena," Kazuma says, after they've rearranged themselves back on the bed, Bishamon resting her head against Kazuma's chest and his hand idly tracing the skin of her back, "You stop whenever you take the lead. So I believe in this instance you are feeling just as guilty as I am."

"We are too alike," Bishamon says. She sighs against his neck. "So what should we do, now?"

"Are you asking me as your lover or as your guide?"

"Both," Bishamon says. Kazuma considers.

"Perhaps we shouldn't force it," Kazuma says. Bishamon nestles against his neck. "These things may take some time."

Bishamon nods, quietly.

She remembers that first time he kissed her. After her fight with Yato, Bishamon had stayed by Kazuma's bedside. She was restless and worried, and before long she was climbing into bed and falling asleep beside him. A few hours passed. There was a crick in her neck from sleeping in one position, and as she opened her eyes she saw Kazuma watching her quietly.

He kissed her softly on the mouth. Bishamon pulled back, stunned. Kazuma's eyes were soft. He smiled gently, then nestled against her.

She had gone to see Kofuku immediately afterwards.

It was no secret that Kofuku and her shinki lived as man and wife: the Binbougami always flouted the rules, and while the other gods frowned and judged amongst themselves, Kofuku proudly paraded around Daikoku, taking every opportunity to kiss him or hug his waist in public. (There were other times, too, when Kofuku smugly would pat Daikoku on the butt, whenever some other gods would frown at her disapprovingly.)

"The problem is that he's my shinki," Bishamon said. "I've always seen my shinki as my children. But Kazuma is different. I don't know when I started to think of him that way, but now that he's kissed me, I can't go on ignoring it.

But I wanted to ask you, Kofuku-dono," Bishamon said. "How is it between you and Daikoku? You have his memories of his human life. How do you keep that from affecting your relationship?"

"Because it doesn't!" Kofuku said, happily. Bishamon sighed. She had been far too hopeful that Kofuku would have some sage advice, but obviously her hopes were misplaced: Kofuku kicked her feet under her chair and played with a piece of red bean cake, making Bishamon feel foolish for sharing something so deeply personal.

"Ne, Bisha?" Kofuku said. Bishamon looked up.

"What do you remember of Kazu-chan's life?"

Bishamon thought. "He was a good son. A kind brother and a loyal friend. He died too young," Bishamon said, quietly. "He suffered." Kofuku leaned forward.

"And how long has he been your shinki?" Kofuku said. Bishamon shook her head. "Longer than he was a human, right?"

Bishamon set down her cup. Kofuku was watching her with knowing eyes.

"Daikoku has been my shinki longer than he was human. The memories of his past life no longer matter. What's twenty years of a human life compared to a millennia by your side? I think you're overthinking it," Kofuku said, and Bishamon stared at her, awestruck.

The Binbougami acts like she doesn't know anything. She puts on the façade of an idiot, a carefree spirit who causes disaster in her wake. But Bishamon knows that there's a reason why the Binbougami is openly feared.

"We both harbor a god's greatest secret," Bishamon said. "Don't you think that makes things unfair?" Kofuku looked at her with measured eyes, answering her quietly.

"I think that's the arrogance of the gods to think that something like that matters," Kofuku said.

Fortunately for Bishamon, Kazuma didn't seem to remember the kiss. They spoke about their past, the mistakes they both made and their hopes for the rest of the clan. And when she handed him the exchange diary she tried to ignore the accidental brush of her hand against the tips of his fingers.

"What are you thinking about?" Kazuma says now, and his voice startles her out of her reverie. She rests her chin against his sternum and smiles.

"I was thinking about our first kiss," Bishamon says.

Kazuma sighs, heavily. "I was heavily medicated," Kazuma says. She smiles at him and cards her hands through his hair. "You know I wouldn't take such liberties with you normally."

"Why do you feel like you have to defend yourself? It was a perfectly sweet memory."

"I just would hate for you to think that's how I do things," Kazuma says. Bishamon quirks an eyebrow.

"Oh? So you had a plan to seduce me, then?" She idly runs her fingers through his hair.

"Er-" Kazuma blushes.

"Tell me," Bishamon says, and she leans against his shoulder. "How would you seduce me?"

"I honestly don't know. I can barely seduce you now," Kazuma says. Bishamon laughs and kisses him, delighted. "I suppose...if I had to...I would probably ask Yato for help."

"That rat bastard. Tell me you are joking."

"I've no doubt he can play the consummate wingman when he has to."

"Hm." Bishamon leans back against his chest. "So those comics," Bishamon says, and Kazuma groans, audibly.

"Veena, he gave me that first one as a joke."

"And the others?"

"Er...well I have always appreciated his style and clean linework."

"Which one is your favorite?" Bishamon says. "The one where I'm tied up or the one where I'm playing with the lion? Or how about the one where I have to have sex or else my godhood will implode?"

"Please do not ask me this." Kazuma's ears are red, which is completely endearing.

"The one where I'm tied up is pretty dog-eared, Kazuma. I daresay you've looked at this one the most." Bishamon reaches one slender arm across his chest and tugs at the offending comic on the nightstand. "Oh, Kazuma, look. The binding here is broken at this page-"

" _Please_ don't look at it," Kazuma says, and Bishamon laughs and kisses him, hoisting him closer.


	3. First Time (NC-17)

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He has grown accustomed to sleeping next to her.

He knows she is fearful that he is only with her out of duty and obligation, and that she is most relaxed when he is the one holding her, not the other way around. And so at night he swallows down the lingering self-doubt and old shame, and allows himself to hold her.

He had been embarrassed at first, making sure to keep a polite distance between their bodies. There were times he woke in the middle of the night to feel her body pressed snugly against his, the friction of their bodies making him thicken and harden against her. It embarrassed him, and every time, he was mortified enough to cause a burning stinging at the back of Veena's neck, which would wake her up from sleep and make his erection even more noticeable.

But then one night, Veena sighs quietly and pushes him onto his back, and before he knows it, she's taking off her clothes and sinking down on top of him.

It's the first time she's allowed herself to be penetrated by him, and he can't think clearly, not when she rides him hard with her eyes squeezed shut, the muscles of her thighs clenching tight as she rocked forward. It feels good. She moves and her breasts brush against his chest, the darkness of the room so still and quiet except for the rustling of sheets and the soft, wet noises between them.

Then she comes, shuddering on top of him.

It's not long until he's pushed over the edge as well. He pulses hard inside her, gasping a little into her shoulder.

He has never felt so happy. He smiles into her hair, wrapping his arms around her back and hitching her close.

"Kazuma?"

"Veena." He smiles up at her, brushing the hair from her face. She looks at him with worried eyes.

"Kazuma, I didn't force you, right? I didn't do anything to make you uncomfortable...?"

"No, Veena. It felt good. I wanted this."

"Are you sure?" Worry and doubt creeps along the edges of her eyes. Kazuma nods and holds her, smiling and kissing her quietly.

He understands without her telling him that she would rather he be the one to make the first move. She was his master; there would be no other way to be sure she wasn't forcing him. "I like it when you're on top," Veena says, shyly, after Kazuma has rolled her on her back and slipped inside her. She sighs and her eyelids flutter. He smiles and kisses her, rocking forward.


	4. Silk (NC-17)

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"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kazuma says.

Veena is lying naked on the bed, watching as he nervously twists the rope around his hands. "I told you, you could," Veena says. "Besides. That drawing Yato drew of me all tied up is your favorite one, isn't it?"

Kazuma sighs. "There is such a thing as fantasy, you know."

"Well you know what they say, making fantasy a reality, and all that nonsense." She stretches out on the bed, luxuriously. "Go on, Kazuma. Tie me up like you want to and use my body as you see fit. I think we'll both like this." Kazuma nods dully and steps forward.

She is right when she says they'd both like it. Veena was always wary about the possibility of using him, and Kazuma didn't like to take too many liberties when it came to the physical aspects of their relationship. That Veena ordered him to tie her up freed them both from their respective hang-ups: she could lie back and let Kazuma take the lead without worrying that she was forcing him, and he could do so without the normal accompanying guilt and shame.

The rope Kazuma chose was made of black silk, which could slide smoothly across bare skin without chafing or burning. Carefully, he ties her wrists above her head, and when she nods he gently pulls down her blindfold.

He takes off his glasses, quietly setting them on the nightstand before leaning over her.

Her lips part a little when he carefully kisses her, covering her with his body and keeping his weight on his elbows. He is still fully dressed despite her nakedness, and while this happens to be a rather common occurrence, usually he is standing at the grotto reciting reports as if by rote.

Her lips part a little, and he feels her gently slip her tongue.

Kazuma moves, rubbing his mouth along her skin and following the line of her body, when he stops just above her sternum. Her nipples are small and pink and hard, and he has no compunction dragging his mouth over one swollen breast and licking her carefully around the tip of her nipple.

Above him, Veena sighs, quietly. Her hips move against his, straining to grind the core of her sex against him.

Kazuma enjoys her breasts. They are heavy and soft, and as he cups them he rolls her nipples beneath his thumbs.

"Kazuma." Veena's voice is strained, needy. She pushes up her pelvis, grinding against him.

"My apologies," Kazuma says, and he dutifully scoots lower.

The lips of her sex are swollen and wet when he closes his mouth over her, lets his tongue gently press against her clit. He's rewarded by a soft moan, the muscles in her thighs tightening. Gently, he rests his hands around her waist and kisses her lips like they were a mouth.

A few minutes pass. The muscles of Veena's body tighten and clench, her legs straightening, toes pointing and quivering with effort. She lets out a ragged breath. He swirls his tongue along her clit, then flattens it, sucking a little, gently. Veena's voice see-saws a little with each ragged pant, and it takes only a moment before she cries out, and comes undone.

She jerks against his mouth, the top part of her body jerking with each harsh contraction of her orgasm, before she falls back on the bed. Her arms, which are still tied above her head, swing uselessly by the bedpost. The blindfold slips a little over her eyes.

Kazuma pulls off his shirt. He makes quick work of the belt and the zipper of his pants, pulling them down and moving on top of her.

Her knees part. He pushes into the wet seam of her body, gasping a little at the sensation. His breath fans hot and ragged against her neck. He moves. His skin is warm and damp, and she whines and writhes, pulling against the rope and straining beneath him.

He pulls off the blindfold, because he wants to see her face. He thrusts as he kisses her, and when he pulls back she cranes her neck upwards, nudging her chin against the flushed skin of his cheek.


	5. Blight

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At first, no one in particular thinks anything of their relationship. When Veena makes the announcement to the rest of the gods, the others blink at her with cow eyes while young Ebisu hesitantly asks, "I thought you two were already together...?"

Kazuma blushes as Veena blinks, surprised. "No, Ebisu. Kazuma has been my guide, it was only recently that we decided to further our relationship."

"Really?" Ebisu says, while Yato shouts, "It's about damn time!" Behind them, Tenjin shakes his head while Kofuku giggles beside him.

"Ha!" Takemikazuchi breaks through the crowd, leering. "Leave it to our own Vaisravana to turn her Hafuri into a sexual conquest! It's no wonder he is blessed," Takemikazuchi says. Kazuma is fuming but Veena just rolls her eyes.

"Don't worry, Kazuma," Veena says, and she squeezes his hand. "Things like this are to be expected."

"But Veena. If us being together will only sully your name-"

"Kazuma," Veena says, and she steps closer.

"You are necessary to me," Veena says. "You are more than just my shinki. Do you understand?"

Veena searches his eyes. Kazuma sighs, then nods.

xXx

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Increasingly, the heavens sneer their disapproval.

He hears things. Judging eyes and harsh whispers battering them at all sides.

"Why is she even among the seven lucky gods? Who is she, who defiles her shinki?"

"Even Ebisu, whose last incarnation kept filthy Nora, has never stooped so low."

"I don't care about the heavens," Veena says, as Kazuma stands before her and wrings his hands. She smiles at him and wraps her arms around his waist. It calms him. He takes a breath, then leans against her shoulder.

xXx

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"You seem to be enjoying this," a voice says, and Kazuma looks up from his stacks of papers to see Yato's stray sitting at the window. "Just a little nail, and look at all you have accomplished. I've always said it was a blessing, being able to penetrate her whenever you have need. And it seems you are penetrating her admirably," she says.

"A line!" Kazuma says, but Mizuchi flicks her fingers, dispelling it. Kazuma's face is pale.

"She loves you," Mizuchi says. Her words draw out, thin and airless, a swirl of ink in a vat of water. "Oh, how she loves you, poor chouki. You killed her family for her. Isn't that what you deserve?"

Kazuma wakes. He had fallen asleep on top of a stack of papers, his cheek resting against his arm.

xXx

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 _Veena loves me_ , he thinks. And then, _But I don't deserve it._

 _The heavens abandoned her because of me_.

It's a reflexive thought, and he knows even without seeing her that she has been stung.

xXx

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"Kazuma, I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a little under the weather at the moment. I'm fine."

Kazuma's eyes widen when he sees Veena lying listless on the couch. Her arm is covering her eyes and a blanket is draped around her shoulders.

And then he sees it: the blight, the faintest spot of purple edging the side of her neck. Quietly he traces its outline with the pad of his thumb, then lowers his head, a gathering wetness darkening the rims of his eyes.

"Veena. Is this...is this because of me?"

She lowers her arm, smiles at him kindly.

"My sweet chouki," she says, softly. "I know you can't help it. I don't mind bearing this weight."

Her words make his stomach twist, and to his horror he sees Veena wince, slightly. Kazuma squeezes his eyes and kneels beside her.

"We can't do this," Kazuma says. "I've done nothing but blight you. Even now I'm hurting you as we speak."

"You're not hurting me," Veena says. "You've always worried too much. I promise you that I'm fine."

She reaches out a hand, which Kazuma grips tightly.

"Veena," he says, and he presses her knuckles to his face. "Release me," he says.

"What?" Veena says.

"I'm hurting you. If this keeps going I don't think I can stop. I don't want to blight you," Kazuma says.

"Why?" Veena says. Her voice is a whisper. "Why do you think that you're so unworthy? My Kazuma," she says, and she traces a line down the side of his face. "I need you."

"I'm sorry, Veena," Kazuma says. And Veena looks at him like she's about to cry.

xXx

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He doesn't need an ablution.

The blight is barely noticeable on Kazuma's body, and yet the guilt he has for hurting her grows. Bishamon watches, heart in her throat, as Kazuma takes all the harsh words and disapproving glances to heart, hunching his shoulders a little at the icy stares of other gods who know nothing about what she and her shinki have been through.

As his master, she is the one responsible for him. Bishamon knows what she has to do.

"An order?" There is a flicker of surprise on Kazuma's face, before it clamps down again into a careful mask. Bishamon stands in front of him, boldly.

"A god's will is just," Bishamon says. "No matter how selfish it is. Everything we do is righteous."

"Yes, but-" Kazuma begins, but Bishamon cuts him off.

"You will stay with me," Bishamon says. "I need you by my side, Kazuma. And as much as I loathe the idea of using you, you are my shinki. I am your master. You are meant to be used."

"I see." Kazuma sighs, quietly. "If you're going to go to such lengths, Veena, at least know that I'd stay by your side willingly. I was just trying to do right by you."

"You would do right by me by shutting up and getting in my bed," Bishamon says. Kazuma raises an eyebrow.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Bishamon says, blushing. "You forced me to do this! So that's an order!"

It takes a moment. Kazuma frowns a little, as if trying to decide whether or not to laugh at her. He doesn't; he just smiles a bit and shakes his head, stepping close and wrapping his arms around her.

"You are obstinate as always," Kazuma says. "As your guide, I only look out for your best interests. But of course you wouldn't listen to my advice."

Bishamon buries her head against his neck.

"You would do well to stop making fun of me," Bishamon says. Her voice is muffled by his shirtfront. She feels him smile against her shoulder.

"I will try my best," Kazuma says, and he holds her tight, pulling her closer.


	6. Part 2: Little Secrets (rated R)

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She's close to coming. Her body arches, the muscles of her legs and stomach tightening with the effort.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! _Chouki!_ "

And there's a panic-stricken look from Kazuma as Bishamon accidentally zaps her blessed vessel into her earlobe.

"Veena! What are you-"

In the white backdrop of her mind's eye, Bishamon can see Kazuma standing, naked and horrified, hiding his chest with his arms and ducking around the purple jewels floating around his head.

"R-return, Kazu."

 _Ding_. Kazuma appears in front of her, stumbling and covering his penis with his hand.

"I-" Bishamon bites her lip. "I'm sorry!" she says, and then she starts to laugh.

"Veena, this isn't funny!"

"Kazuma, you-why are you covering yourself?"

"Because unlike some people, I am not accustomed to walking around stark naked."

Bishamon grins at him. "Come here," she says, and she holds out her arms.

xXx

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He's stinging her again.

Quietly, Bishamon unbuttons Kazuma's shirt and slides it down his shoulders. The fabric rustles slightly as her hands slip over his arms, palming the thin shoulders and warm skin beneath. The blight on his body is barely noticeable, but Bishamon can see it, the faint splotch of purple, the telltale sign of an Ayakashi's influence. Carefully she leans forward and presses her lips reverently against the spot: Kazuma sighs, closing his eyes.

They have crossed the centuries together, but this side of their relationship is still brand new. Until recently, she has never seen Kazuma's face crack into a blush, has never felt his hands tugging at the folds of her clothes with urgent efficiency. He is not used to it either, and every time he shows his desire for her, she feels the sharp sting of his shame at the base of her neck, knowing that with every kiss and sigh and harsh thrusting movement, there is that growing, gnawing doubt that he is still unworthy of her.

But no matter. Bishamon takes the lead tonight, lets her fingers splay over the skin of his ribs, kisses the sides of his face and eyes and leans him back onto the bed. There is the sound of metal clinking as she undoes his belt buckle.

xXx

.

One day, long before he and Veena are in any sort of romantic relationship, he comes across something he shouldn't see.

Kazuma is rounding the corner, silently counting the things left on his to-do list and hefting another stack of reports, when he hears a soft moan coming from Veena's grotto.

She has been feeling unwell lately, and Kazuma's footsteps quicken as he enters the clearing to the sacred waters.

In the lake, her head is tipped back, eyes closed and her lips parted. Her back arches, and he sees the peaks of her breasts poking out from the water.

It takes him a moment to realize that she's touching herself, and Kazuma fumbles, clutching his reports to his chest. He pushes his glasses back up, tries to remember how to walk, and turns quickly on his heel, leaving as Veena's soft pants grow into needful moans.

xXx

.

"I don't understand, Kazuma. You've touched yourself to these filthy doujins, you took all these stupid photos and you've seen me masturbate. And yet you've never stung me-not until now!"

Kazuma blushes, her soft breast cradled lovingly in the palm of his hand.

(Later, he gently presses his tongue against her nipple, and Bishamon yelps at the sharp, stinging sensation that slaps her against the neck. It gets worse when he dares to finger her, and it's not until she sighs tragically and rolls him onto his back that the stinging sensation finally stops.)

xXx

.

"You have a really nice penis, you know that?"

Kazuma coughs and sputters, nearly dropping the stack of reports he's carrying in his hands.

"Veena! What on earth- didn't we say we wouldn't- _Veena_ people could _hear_."

"There's no one else around, Kazuma, you of all people should know that," Bishamon says.

He pushes up his glasses, face beet-red and glaring sternly.

Unbeknownst to Kazuma, Bishamon really does think he has a nice penis. When it's erect, it's thick and solid, the head of his erection like the cap of a nice, fat mushroom. She likes the way it feels, sliding snug and tight inside her.

"So what about it do you like?" Kazuma says, finally, in a tone best suited for talking about budgetary concerns and expense reports. Bishamon smiles.

She tells him it looks like a mushroom and Kazuma is not amused.

xXx

.

On the bed, her long hair falls over her shoulders, tangling in long, thin strands and fanning out over the sheets. Her skin is soft and her mouth is warm and pliant, and when he touches her, her side-turned face goes red and slack, the silence of the room punctuated with breathy moans.

His body, unlike hers, which is graced with the flawlessness of gods, is physically mismatched. Bony shoulders and thin chest, the ugly scar from Veena's blade snakes around the cage of his shoulders and ribs and stops just short of his hip bone, his narrow pelvis pressing obscenely between the creamy skin of her thighs. He has the look of an awkward, gangly teenager, grunting and thrusting into a supermodel.

He comes. He pulses breathlessly, breath fanning against her neck as he collapses onto her chest, and a short moment passes before she lets out a soft squeak and jerks helplessly beneath him. His eyes are blind with tenderness, and as he touches her cheek a patch of moonlight glances off the mark on his hand.

xXx

.

"Kazuma?"

"Yes, Veena?"

"Why don't you ever look at me when I'm on top?"

"What do you mean?" Kazuma says, and Veena frowns.

"You're always turning your head to the side," Veena says. "Is it because you're trying not to sting me?"

"Not at all. It's just that sometimes your hair falls over my face."

(And it suddenly makes sense, how Kazuma would turn his head, squeezing his eyes and occasionally blowing out a puff of air.)

xXx

.

She's fellating him, palming the crest of his hips and running her tongue along the underside of his glans, when to his horror he comes suddenly, thick white stripes spurting onto her face.

"Veena! I'm so sorry!" Kazuma says, and Veena yelps, not so much from him ejaculating on her as it is from the hard-blighted slap that pinches at the base of her neck.

(He's so horrified and ashamed by this that he'd be stinging her for days afterward, were it not for the fact that Bishamon thought this was nothing short of hilarious, and was cracking up at him as she wiped off her face.)

xXx

.

Sometimes, Kazuma is unexpectedly shy.

Before they were lovers, Kazuma had no compunction over barging in on Bishamon's baths, complaining loudly whenever she walked around naked or telling her bluntly that she might as well fight in a swimsuit, because those had more fabric. He nagged at her, kept her on task, and was scarily efficient when it came to the various stacks of paperwork.

Things are different now, and while Kazuma is still quick to roll his eyes or call Bishamon out on whatever ridiculous this-that or the other, sometimes their fingers will brush and his face will turn red for absolutely no reason, or he'll suddenly stop where he's walking and stammer and stare.

It baffles her, because he's been in love with her for well over a millennia. Now that their relationship was consummated, there was no reason why he should suddenly be so standoffish and shy.

("I suppose it's because I just want to be near you," Kazuma tells her. "I never could before. But now I know I can."

Bishamon nods, understanding. The next time he turns and blushes in front of her, she smartly crosses the room to give him an affectionate squeeze.)

xXx

.

At night, he sleeps in Bishamon's bed.

His body is warm and comforting and she can't help but turn and tuck her face against the side of his neck. She presses soft kisses against his neck and shoulder, sighs quietly as he shifts and moves. Everything is still so new and unexplored, and yet, as she curls against his body and traces the line of his name on his hand, she can't imagine that she's ever slept this well alone.

xXx

.

She's worrying over a stack of papers when she feels it, a light touch of his hand against her shoulder.

"Anything I can help you with?" Kazuma says, and while the gesture is no more intimate than the things he's done before they were lovers, he drops a quick kiss against her hair before leaning over her shoulder to read.

It's the first time he's kissed her without her being stung, and Bishamon smiles happily to herself. Still reading the papers, she reaches a hand upward, absently stroking his face before touching his hand.


	7. Hard and Fast (NC-17)

.

.

"Kazuma," Bishamon says. "I'd like to give you an order."

"Of course," Kazuma says. He comes around the bed, shrugging off his coat and loosening his tie. "What is it?"

"I'd like it hard and fast tonight." She lifts her eyes, steadily. "Do you think you can do that?"

A slight pause. "That shouldn't be a problem."

Bishamon leans back on the bed, waiting as Kazuma undresses. There is a curious play of shadows and orange light as he pulls off his clothes, the shadowed bedroom lit only by the soft glow of the lamp on the nightstand. Bishamon watches as his hand reaches up to the knot of his tie, unbuttoning the collar of his shirt and exposing the thin clavicle underneath. Normally she would be helping him undress - his body is like a secret gift buried under layers of wrapping paper - but Kazuma had asked her if she wouldn't mind waiting while he tries to undress himself, he needed to get used to being intimate with her without stinging her. _"When you touch me, it can be a little overwhelming,"_ he said. _"I need to get used to doing this on my own."_

"Kazuma," Bishamon says, and Kazuma looks up, pausing briefly while unbuttoning his shirt. "You are sure I'm not taking advantage of you?"

"Don't be ridiculous." His hands start working on the buttons again. "I prefer it when you order me. That way I can be certain my actions are wanted."

"I suppose," Bishamon says. Kazuma smiles and kisses the spot behind her ear. She doesn't like giving him orders - it was awkward enough trying to wrap her head around him being her shinki - but without them, he stings her almost to the point of blighting her. They both had decided for her own safety, it was probably best if she just tells him what to do. "I do wish you were more comfortable with me, though."

"It is a bit of an adjustment," Kazuma says.

His shirt is unbuttoned. Bishamon takes a moment to appreciate the smooth skin of his chest. The scar from where she had slashed him is an angry raised line, which she soothes gently with the pads of her fingers. Kazuma sighs, and Bishamon responds by pulling off the rest of his shirt.

The curtains are open in the windows opposite them, but fortunately the bedroom faces only their backyard, there's no one that could see them. The darkness is such that the windows reflect their bodies back at them like a mirror, which Kazuma looks at and frowns, slightly.

"What is it?" Bishamon says. Kazuma shakes his head at his reflection.

"it is a little incongruent, isn't it?" Kazuma says. Bishamon tilts her head, not understanding. "You're so beautiful," Kazuma says. "And I'm, well..."

"What?" Bishamon says. She slips her had around his waist. "I like your body, Kazuma."

"I know you do." His eyes are smiling. "But you have to admit, it is rather amusing when you think about it. You're a goddess and I'm not exactly the perfect specimen. But don't worry," Kazuma says, seeing her face. "I'm not having self-confidence issues, it was merely a simple observation."

Bishamon glances back at their reflections, and she can see what Kazuma is talking about. Kazuma had died early in his life, and his body is still soft, boyish. Shirtless, his shoulders are narrow and his chest is boyishly flat, but as he methodically unbuckles his belt she can see the shadow of his lower abdomen, just barely hinting at a secret manhood he had kept hidden from her for centuries. She never thought of him as a man before. Kazuma as her shinki was sexless and loyal, not someone to be fondled and lusted over. But looking at him now, his hardness straining beneath his pants and the surprising trail of sparse, dark hair leading from his navel, all she wants to do is touch him, run her hands all over his body and rub her mouth lower and lower.

Kazuma finishes undressing - belt buckle, button, zipper, pants - and Bishamon grins a little at the sight of Kazuma's penis, which is stiff and hard and completely at-odds with the youthful upper half of his body. She pulls off her nightgown, then pushes down her panties, leaning forward to pull them off around her ankles. She lies back, and Kazuma leans over her, kneeling between her legs and reaching an arm to gently set his glasses on the nightstand. She lets her knees drop on either side of her, widening her thighs as he positions himself against the lips of her entrance.

Carefully, he pushes in; she feels him filling her, stretching her out, slowly.

"Hard and fast, okay?" Bishamon says. Kazuma nods against her shoulder.

He pulls back, then pushes into her again, adjusting to her body before increasing the pace of his strokes. It's a steady pace, a back-and-forth motion. Bishamon sighs and the mattress springs creak with the movement.

"Kazuma," Bishamon says, and Kazuma kisses the side of her ear before pushing up on his arms...

...and then slams his hips hard into her with the entire weight of his body behind it.

" _Ch-chou-!_ "

"Don't say it." Kazuma kisses her before she can accidentally call his name, thrusting into her with a punishing rhythm, panting against her mouth. "Veena don't say it. Don't say my name."

"I won't- I'm not- _Kazuma!_ " She gasps and grips his back, her knees pressing against his ribs as her body rocks back and forth on the mattress. He grins and kisses her open-mouthed, smiling and breathing heavily through his nose.

She didn't know Kazuma had it in him, slamming his hips into her body and pounding her, hard and fast, just like she asked. He hammers into her and her body bounces a little, the bedframe and the mattress rocking almost violently. He pushes up on his arms, his hair swings wildly in front of his face, and his face is red from all his exertions.

And then he pulls out abruptly, quickly lowering himself down her body and shoving his face between her legs.

"Kazuma, what-"

He sucks at her clit, slipping two fingers inside her and thrusting with his hand. He gives her one more harsh suck before lifting his head. "I was about to come," he says. "Let me work on you first."

Bishamon nods, straining her neck to look at him.

There is precision in everything Kazuma does, and that ability of his, to grasp the things around him and intuitively recognize what to do to produce maximal results, works even as he's going down on her. It's not just his mouth on her clit, it's a specific prodding motion, centered at the top left corner of her clitoral hood, that makes Bishamon's gut bottom out and the muscles of her ass and thighs clench. His fingers curl, his tongue slips over and on her clit with sure, knowing strokes, and just as her pelvis rises and her toes point with straining need, Kazuma strokes his tongue along her clit, gives her one long, harsh suck, then delicately, carefully, touches the tender flesh of her clit with sharp, hard teeth.

She screams, her upper body pitching forward, hands gripping the short hairs of his neck as her body spasms violently. She comes so hard she practically shoves him off the bed, her thighs clenching shut as she helplessly jerks forward.

"Geez." Bishamon breathes hard as Kazuma rises again, delicately wiping the side of his mouth and positioning his penis against her lips. "When did you get so good at this?"

"You were always very easy to read." He slides up inside her easily, slick as she is from her fantastic orgasm. "I suppose I also fantasized about this, as well."

"I still don't understand why you never stung me." Her voice is breathy as he sets to work again, stroking inside her and hitting a sensitive spot. "I mean, you masturbated to me, right? How is it that you didn't feel guilty?"

He lowers his head, pressing his cheek to her ear.

"It was my way of worshipping you."

"Ha," Bishamon says, but she sees Kazuma's eyes, which are earnest in their sincerity. He leans forward, dropping a kiss by her temple and fanning his thumb across her cheek.

The minutes pass. Soon he leans forward and pulls her legs up onto his shoulders, leaning forward as he thrusts and practically bending her in half. Her knees touch against her breasts and her clit rubs deliciously against the hard ridge of his pelvis. She slips a hand between their bodies, her stomach tensing again as she strokes herself with the pad of her finger.

"Veena." He pants, softly. "I think I'm about to come, again."

"That's okay, keep going," she says, and she feels his thrusts grow faster, more desperate. Her own orgasm is starting to build, and just as she's about to come he shoves into her with one ragged gasp, and pulses helplessly inside her.

His penis throbs, and she comes in rolling waves, a slower series of contractions that push hard against his body. He breathes heavily, lying on top of her, one hot cheek pressed against hers and panting softly. Bishamon reaches a hand to card her fingers through the damp locks of his hair and he manages to look up at her again, smiling shyly. She can feel the fast pulse of his heart beating against her skin.

"Not bad," Bishamon says, and he ducks, shyly. She fluffs his hair, smiling fondly. "Better than looking at that rat bastard's comics, right?"

"I wasn't aware it was a competition," Kazuma says. Bishamon grins and kisses him, smiling and resting her arms along the back of his shoulders.


	8. Comfort

.

.

Kazuma is asleep. His eyes are closed and his chest rises with each quiet breath, and his face softened by the warm glow of yellow sunlight drifting though the curtains.

Bishamon likes him best like this. The bedsheets rustle as she quietly rolls beside him, cupping her body against his side. She brushes back a few strands of short brown hair and presses soft kisses against his cheek.

"Veena?" His eyes open slowly, turning to meet hers. He smiles. Quietly they kiss and rearrange themselves so that his head is pillowed against her breast. She feels him smile and kiss the side of her collarbone.

His breathing deepens, and Bishamon knows he's asleep. He feels warm and good as she rests her arm across his shoulder.


	9. Coda (repost)

_Author's note: this was originally published as a separate drabble, but I thought I would include this here in this collection, just for completeness' sake. Spoilers for Noragami Aragato episode 6._

* * *

.

"Kazuma. I hereby lift your exile. Be my exemplar again."

Bishamon watched as Kazuma lifted the diary to cover his face. He smiled. A tear slipped down his cheek.

Her shinki smiled and laughed quietly, holding hands and gathering closer around the bed. There was such a feeling of warmth and camaraderie, as if they were a real family. Bishamon has not felt such warmth in centuries.

"Alright, everyone," Bishamon said, straightening and clapping her hands. "Kazuma needs his rest. But first I need to have a few words with my exemplar."

"Hai hai, Ane-sama!" her shinki grinned up at her, beaming. "We'll see you later, okay?"

"Feel better, Kazuma-senpai!"

"Get well soon, Kazuma-san."

"I hope there's gonna be a romance," Aihi said, and Tsuguha moaned and grabbed her by the arm.

The door closed. It was just Bishamon and Kazuma again, alone in his room.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked. She moved to sit beside him on the bed. Kazuma smiled and nodded, wiping his eyes.

"I am," Kazuma said. His eyes were bright as they lifted up toward hers. "Thank you, Veena. I only hope I can be worthy of you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Bishamon said, and she hugged him. "You're my blessing. I need you by my side."

Kazuma's eyes filled with tears, and it was as if the events of the past few days gathered and spilled over: their misunderstanding, his exile. Her hurt and confusion and his guilt and shame.

Kazuma sank against her, and she knew he was still in need of comfort. Human warmth was a different sort of warmth. It was steady and constant, with a comforting weight and heft against her chest. Bishamon hugged Kazuma and she felt him press his cheek against her neck, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Quietly she rested her hand against his nape and rubbed soothing circles against his scalp, his shame and self-loathing falling away like caked-on sand.

A moment passed. Bishamon would have held him longer, but Kazuma was the one to pull away gently, smiling and wiping his eyes.

"Any longer and the others may get the wrong idea," Kazuma said, and Bishamon laughed fondly and stood.

"Rest well, my blessing," Bishamon said. She smiled down at him. He beamed up at her, smiling.

"I will," Kazuma said.

Their eyes met. She gently covered the name on his hand.

She was gently closing the door to his room when she heard it: soft giggling behind one of the pillars.

"Aiha? Tsuguha?" Bishamon poked her head around the corner; Aiha and Tsuguha straightened, suddenly.

"A-Ane-sama! We weren't spying! We were just wondering if Ane-sama kissed Kazuma-sempai!" Tsuguha said. Aiha gave her a horrified look before punching her in the arm.

"That's quite alright," Bishamon said, and she smiled at both of them. "I'm glad to see the two of you finally getting along."

And she walked down the corridor, shaking her head and smiling to herself, because once again her exemplar wasn't wrong.


	10. Shippers on Deck

.

.

Quite honestly, Tsuguha and Aiha have been shipping the two of them in secret.

Aiha was the first to write about it in the exchange diary.

 _"Ane-sama needs to tell us about her romance! He's a sleeping prince Ane-sama needs to wake with a kiss :3"_

Tsuguha was the next to get the diary. She snorted, then wrote beneath it:

 _"Ane-sama should ignore that because Kazuma-sempai is still sick and AIHA (pretty sure that's Aiha!) doesn't know what she's talking about."_

"Hey!" Aiha said. She grabbed the diary from Tsuguha's hands. "Why are you making fun of me?"

"Because your romance stories are stupid," Tsuguha said. Aiha's hands flew to her mouth.

They got the exchange diary a few days later: _Roam Ants?_ Bishamon had written, and drew a goofy smiley face next to it.

Kazuma finally woke. Everyone gathered around his room, and Ane-sama asked him to be her guide again; Tsuguha and Aiha watched as Kazuma pressed the exchange diary over his face, hiding the tears in his eyes. The tear slipped and they looked at each other, knowingly.

"Ane-sama needs to be with him, like yesterday," Aiha whispered to Tsuguha. And for once, Tsuguha agreed with her.

"I know."


	11. Morning

.

.

He has always been well-acquainted with her body.

It's not that he actively looked, per se, but Veena was always a bit careless when she was around him. She had no issues bathing or walking around in the nude, because Kazuma was her exemplar, her most trusted advisor and confidante - he knew she didn't think of him as a man. But now that they are lovers, she doesn't act any differently around him. It speaks to the closeness of their relationship: that they are now sleeping together is relatively inconsequential.

She wakes. He watches quietly as she rises, pushing back the bedsheets and padding barefoot across the room. In the early morning light, she sits by the window and starts brushing her hair, the long, tapered fingers of her hand curling around the handle of the brush. Her hair is draped along her left shoulder and there is a tender spot along the back of her nape, an exposed line of skin along her neck and shoulders, and though Kazuma has seen this too, back when he was just her hafuri and never dreamed of taking liberties of this, seeing the curve of her back makes his breath hitch. There is an intimacy there that has somehow deepened. He knows this is because he had kissed that spot the night before.


	12. Photo gallery

.

.

These are the pictures on Kazuma's phone, which he knows all by heart. There is the picture of Veena where her head is tipped back, caught in a laugh. A picture of her looking out across a bridge, eyes squinted and the wind in her hair. He has a picture of her goofing around with her younger shinki, another of her scratching Kuraha's lion form behind the ears. And if Kazuma had to admit, he was jealous of Kuraha, in that moment. But he was a consummate lead, he pushed that thought away before it could sting her.

Veena doesn't really understand some of the pictures he took of her. "What is this?" she asks. She shows him the phone and Kazuma looks: it's a picture of Veena eating a plate of dumplings.

"I, er, liked the way you were holding the chopsticks."

"What about this?" Veena says, and she shows him the picture of her tugging on a boot.

"Um," Kazuma licks his lips. "You are putting on your shoes."

"And? You have a picture of this why?"

"Because..." he blushes. "Because it was easier to imagine you dressing." In his room, after having sex with him. He lets that go unspoken, however.

"So this picture then..." and she scrolls to a picture of her mugging at the camera and holding Yugiha's sword form, her fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt. "It's not what I think it's for, right?"

"Er. Well it is rather phallic."

"And this picture here? Of me eating that ice cream sandwich?"

"Uh..." Kazuma knows the picture she's talking about. Her lips are wrapped around the frozen treat suggestively, and he could almost imagine the position of her tongue up against the tip.

"Kazuma!" Veena's ears burn.

"Please remember that I never stung you!" Kazuma says.

Veena groans. Kazuma hides his face under his hands.

(He has other pictures, too. Of Veena hugging Mineha and her snuggling up against Kuraha's lion form, or resting her head against other shinki's shoulders. Those were a little more pathetic, in Kazuma's estimation - what red-blooded male fantasized about being cuddled? - but Veena found it sweet, and let the rest of it go.)


	13. Sexy

.

.

They're standing next to each other by the sink when Bishamon notices it: Kazuma is taller than her.

Bishamon blinks, startled. Of course, she knew on some level that he was - she wore high heels both in her private life and in battle, and she and Kazuma were the same height, then. She had always just assumed he was close to her height, maybe a few centimeters or so taller than her, nothing that would make that much of a difference.

But she stands there now, holding her toothbrush, dumbstruck, as she looks at their reflection in the bathroom mirror and sees that not only is Kazuma taller than her, she barely comes up to the top of his ear. The realization makes Bishamon blush, unexpectedly.

"Veena?" Kazuma holds his toothbrush, glancing back at her. "Is everything okay?"

"I-" Bishamon's mouth is dry. Kazuma had taken off his glasses to wash his face, and she can see the rivulets of water dripping down his temples and chin.

"You're taller than me," Bishamon says. Kazuma quirks an eyebrow.

"You are just now noticing this?"

"I always wear heels." Really, he is in no position to be making fun of her. "Don't look at me like that, Kazuma, you and I are the same height when I wear shoes, I knew you were taller than me already."

Kazuma gives her an amused look, then takes a towel to wipe off his face. As he bends over, the plain T-shirt he's wearing lifts up, exposing a line of skin along his waist.

"Take off your shirt," Bishamon says, suddenly. Kazuma glances up at her, surprised. He lowers the towel.

If he wants to make fun of her, he doesn't. He folds the towel carefully over the rack, then pulls off his shirt, just like she asked. Then he stands there in front of her, waiting for another order.

She steps close to him, letting her hands rest lightly on his chest.

Bishamon has never really taken the time to look at Kazuma before. True, they were lovers now, and she has seen him undressed before. The only thing she had noticed, before focusing on how he feels or trying to keep him from stinging her, was his youth, and the boyishness of his body. She had never really paid attention.

Of course, this is a fatal flaw, one that led both to the destruction of the Ha and Ma clans and nearly killed her exemplar in the process, because now that she's standing close in front of him, under the fluorescent light of the bathroom, she realizes, with growing embarrassment, that Kazuma's body isn't boyish. It is lithe, lightly muscled, and surprisingly sturdy under her fingers.

She drops to the floor suddenly, pushing up one pant leg and feeling up his calf. Kazuma jerks back, startled.

"V-Veena!"

"Wow," Bishaman says. She inspects his calf muscle the way a farmer would inspect an animal. "Your calves are really well-developed."

Kazuma's face goes up in flames. "What are you- _why_ are you- Veena I am not a cow!"

Huh. Apparently Kazuma knows her well enough that the image of that farmer had also popped up in his mind.

Bishamon stands up again, grinning at him. Kazuma, shirtless and without his glasses, is red-faced and embarrassed. He glares and crosses his arms the way a girl would trying to hide her breasts.

Bishamon bursts out laughing. "Kazuma! You look so scandalized! Come here."

"I do not appreciate being ogled over!" Kazuma says.

"Is that so, Kazuma? Because I see evidence to the contrary."

They both look down at his erection tenting up his pants.

Kazuma's eyes widen. He slaps his hands over his lap.

Bishamon smiles sweetly at him. "Shall I take care of that for you?" she asks. Kazuma sighs, exasperated.

"If this is your way of seducing me, Veena, I'm telling you now I would much rather just be ordered."


	14. Date Night

.

.

"Giddy" isn't quite the word Kazuma would use to describe how he's feeling, but he cannot deny he feels a certain excitement as he opens his closet and looks for a shirt to wear that isn't part of his uniform. He and Veena are going on a date. A real date, without her other shinki, in the human world, and though they have been coupled for some time now, it is the first time they've stepped out like this in public.

As it turns out, the only non-uniform shirts Kazuma owns are a ratty black jersey Yato had left when he was still recuperating from the Underworld and a novelty Capypaland T-shirt Yukine had given him as a souvenir. Kazuma sighs quietly, then pulls out another white button-up.

This is a date. A real date, where she holds his hand without compunction, laughing and talking with him. Kazuma can't stop smiling.

They're at a cafe, eating sandwiches and talking, when Kazuma gets the sudden urge to kiss her. "What is it?" Veena says. Kazuma looks up.

"Oh," Kazuma blushes. "I was just thinking it'd be nice to kiss you right now."

Veena laughs, then leans forward, pressing a small kiss against his lips. "You're allowed, you know."

And she looks up at him with wide, trusting eyes. Her lips tug into a smile. Wisps of long hair trail across her cheek.

Veena gasps, wincing and grabbing the back of her neck. Kazuma's eyes widen.

"I'm so sorry!" Kazuma says. "It happened so quickly, I couldn't help it-"

"That's okay, I just- _ow_."

Veena doubles over, and Kazuma realizes he's stinging her because he feels guilty over stinging her the first time.

 _Get a hold of yourself!_ he thinks. _Calm down!_ and the pinching sensation at the base of Veena's neck finally lessens.

"What was that about?" Veena says. "Kazuma, you haven't stung me for awhile. Was that just from me kissing you?"

"I...I had an impure thought about you," Kazuma says.

"We've had sex before," Veena says. Kazuma shakes his head.

"No, this was different. Degrading."

"...Oh?"

Kazuma can't look at her, ashamed.

"Oi, Yato. Maybe we shouldn't crash Kazuma-san on his date," Yukine says. He trails behind Yato, who marches down the sidewalk, confidently.

"But Hiyori said she picked that lame-o bitch's outfit! Dontcha wanna see what Hiyori thinks is good for a date?" Yato says.

"No," Yukine says.

"Oh c'mon. That four-eyes owes me. I'm pretty much the one that got them together," Yato says. Yukine snorts.

"You just want to try to score a free meal, you shitty ass-pincher."

They round the corner toward the cafe, where Kazuma and Bishamon are sitting and talking. Kazuma looks troubled. He's staring at the table, shoulders hunched, while Bishamon is speaking to him encouragingly.

"It's okay, Kazuma," Bishamon is saying, in an understanding, soothing voice. She takes his hand in hers and looking deep into his eyes, reassuringly. "If you wanted to bend me over the table, I'm pretty sure the humans wouldn't even notice."

"HUH?!" Yukine says, as Yato pushes forward.

"The hell are you saying, you crazy nympho?!"

("STOP MEDDLING WITH ME!" Bishamon says, while Kazuma stands behind her looking positively mortified. Yukine shakes his head while Yato ducks and tries to shield himself from her blows.)


	15. Cougar

.

.

"Ma'am," the girl at the counter said. "The table is ready for you and your son."

"Son?" Bishamon said. Kazuma glanced around, confused. "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaking me for someone else," Bishamon said.

"I don't think so, ma'am, it says here party of two. You're the only two waiting."

"I-" Bishamon opened her mouth, then closed it, dumbstruck.

"Veena," Kazuma said. He gently took her arm. "Do not fret. I believe it's more how you're dressed than how you look."

Bishamon glanced down at her outfit: a long shawl with an ankle-length skirt and shoes that Yato had called "geriatric." ("Yo, Bishamon! You know that's what old people with diabetes wear, right?" Yato said, but Bishamon had ignored him.)

"Yes... _yes_. Of course, Kazuma. This shawl is rather matronly, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is," Kazuma said, and he smiled, blushing brightly. He really was adorable, when Bishamon stopped to think about it, and pretty soon she forgot that she looked old enough to be his mother.

xXx

.

It didn't stop at the restaurant.

She discarded her shawl and hiked up her skirt, and even though the denizens in the Near Shore generally ignored them, on the offhand chance they did notice them, they made snarky remarks about the middle-aged lady dating a college student. "I'm not middle-aged!" Bishamon said.

Her head was in Kazuma's lap, because the humiliation of the day was giving her a migraine and the only thing that made it better was Kazuma cradling her head and stroking her hair along her temples. "I'm not even that much older than you, Kazuma! I made you my shinki only two centuries after my last reincarnation."

"That's all?" Kazuma said. He stroked her hair, thoughtfully. "I did not know you were only two centuries older than me. You and I are practically the same age."

"I know! And yet those idiots at the Near Shore seem to think I'm your mother."

"The shoes did not help much," Kazuma said. "Neither did the shawl, come to think of it. But I thought you looked very beautiful." He smiled, gently. She felt his fingertips gently brushing her temples.

The next day, she found a newspaper clipping taped to the gate of her mansion.

COUGARS ON THE LOOSE, it said. OLDER WOMEN AND THE MEN WHO LOVE THEM. And below it Yato wrote, "Thought you'd be interested!" And he drew a smiley face with a tongue sticking out of its mouth.

(Apparently Yato had found out from Tenjin, who evidently had seen her at the restaurant. "I feel your pain, Bishamonten," Tenjin said, and he fanned himself, thoughtfully. "The denizens of the Near Shore think I am older, too." )


	16. Dominate

.

.

"You...want me to dominate you?" Kazuma said. He picked a piece of lint off her shoulder, dusting her jacket, carefully. "Because I could," he said. His eyes flicked upwards, meeting hers. "If you want me to."

Bishamon laughed. "Kazuma. No offense, but I'm a god. There's no way you could dominate me. I'm stronger than you."

"There are other ways to subjugate a god." Kazuma looked at her, calmly. "If we're going to do this, Veena, we need to establish some boundaries. I don't want to hurt you. And I'll need to know when you want me to stop."

"You seem pretty sure of yourself if you think I'd need a safeword," Bishamon said. "Alright. For sake of argument, let's say my safeword is 'Yatogami.' Because like hell I'd be screaming that bastard's name otherwise."

"Veena," Kazuma said. "I need you to take this seriously."

"I am taking this seriously, Kazuma. So you stop if I yell 'Yatogami.' Because only another war god can subjugate me." She grinned. "And it's been centuries since another god has overpowered me."

He took a step closer. "Need I remind you, Veena," Kazuma said in a low voice, and he brushed back a strand of her hair. "That is only because of my guidance."

"Ha."

"Tonight," he said. She felt her heart beat just a touch faster.

xXx

.

"Yato I need you to teach me bondage knots," Kazuma said.

"Eh?" Yato said.

They were standing on Kofuku's porch, but Kazuma looked more frantic and harried than usual. "Why?" Yato said. "Who the hell are ya gonna tie up?"

"N-no one." Kazuma's face turned red. "I just...I need to know, Yato."

"Why?" Yato said.

"Because," Kazuma started, and he reddened. "Because, er, well..."

Yato's eyes widened.

"YOU'RE GONNA TIE UP THAT SKANK!"

"Y-Yato!"

"Oh man, Kazuma! I knew you were a hentai hafuri before, but now-"

"Yato, please, not so loud!"

(Later, after much pleading and cajoling from Kazuma, Yato finally relented, on the condition that Kazuma keep his hentai hafuri sex life to himself.)


	17. Meeting (NC-17)

.

.

This happened before their relationship.

The meeting was running long. Bishamon shifted uncomfortably as Kazuma's voice droned on in the background, reciting the various ayakashi sightings in the region in an authoritative monotone.

Maybe because she was bored, or maybe because she was kind of tired, but an itch had settled at the pit of her stomach, rolling deep into her pelvis and settling painfully between her legs, and Bishamon tried to keep focus as she crossed her legs and shifted her hips, slightly.

"Bishamon-sama?" Kazuma lowered his clipboard. "Do you have anything to add?"

"Uh, no." Bishamon took a breath, composing herself. "Thank you for the update, Kazuma. You've done well, everyone. Until the next patrol I'm going to retire to my quarters. Thank you all for your hard work."

"Thank you very much, Ane-sama!"

"See you until the next patrol!"

"Veena," Kazuma said, just as Bishamon was about to rush out of the room. "Is something wrong?"

"What-" Bishamon forced herself to maintain composure. "I'm fine, Kazuma. I just need to go to my room."

"Your face is flushed," Kazuma said. "Furthermore, your heartrate is rather fast. I'm concerned you may need to see our curer."

"I'm fine," Bishamon said, a little too sharply. Kazuma blinked. Bishamon took a breath, "I just-"

I just _really_ need to get off right now and you're standing in my way.

"You have important things to do," Kazuma said, quickly. "I understand. Forgive me for interrupting you."

"Thank you, Kazuma," Bishamon said, and she wondered if that ability of his was finally kicking in.

She escaped into her quarters. She had exactly two hours before the witching hour, and she would be damned if she wouldn't put it to good use. Closing the door, she pulled off her clothes and tossed her bra and panties to the side, lying naked on the bed and reaching a hand toward the nightstand drawer.

The dildo she used was smooth, glass, and just the perfect thickness. She pushed the blunt end of the dildo against her clit, arching her back and rubbing herself until she jerked with a few harsh spasms. It wasn't quite an orgasm, but it was still pleasurable nonetheless. Wrapping her fingers around the base, she adjusted her grip and gently slid the dildo inside her, smooth and cool and filling her perfectly.

As one of the Seven Lucky Gods, a romance between gods and humans was expressly forbidden; there were no other gods she would want to take as a lover, and the idea of using her shinki made her recoil, instinctively. Her shinki were her children, and while other gods had no qualms using their tools for their own personal pleasure, Bishamon could not imagine taking advantage of them (nevermind that poor Naruha took the form of a vibrator, which made everyone in Bishamon's party flush a bright, shocked red, the moment after she named him).

Her pelvis rocked, the muscles of her legs tightening, as she stroked the dildo in and out, using her other hand to mash the pad of her middle finger against her clit. For some reason, her mind snapped back to Kazuma and that very peculiar ability of his. She wondered, idly, what he'd be like as a lover...

Why was she thinking about Kazuma? Bishamon's eyes snapped open.

She mustn't think of him like this. Kazuma was her hafuri! What in the world is she thinking?

She thought of his mouth closing over the seam between her legs, and her hips jerked hard, a sudden jolt of pleasure.

Kazuma was boring. Kazuma had a stack of reports, Kazuma did paperwork, Kazuma nagged her whenever she wasn't covering herself properly. Kazuma...

...sometimes smiled at her when they had a quiet moment alone. Sometimes touched her shoulder or brushed the side of her hand...

Kazuma, she thought. Her finger moved faster. Kazuma, _Kazuma_ -

Her body pitched forward, and she made a helpless, crying sound, her mouth popping open as she orgasmed hard against her hand.

Her body was still quivering, jerking with irregular beats, when the door to her room suddenly opened.

"Veena, is everything al-" his eyes widened.

"Kazuma!" Bishamon said. She grabbed a pillow and shoved it in front of her.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Kazuma tried to run but instead whacked his head into the closed door.

"Are you okay?!" Bishamon sat up as Kazuma shakily tried to push up his glasses. "Kazuma your nose is bleeding!"

"Please-" Kazuma's voice rose. "Just please put on some clothes, Veena!"

"Okay, okay!" Bishamon said, and she tossed the dildo to the side of the bed and pulled on her robe.

Kazuma was still shaking. Bishamon's face was red. She couldn't look at him.

"Just so we're clear, I wasn't saying your name," Bishamon said.

"I gathered as much," Kazuma said. "Forgive me for disturbing you."

"You need to learn how to knock!" Bishamon said.

"That is duly noted."

"And you're not to mention this to anyone!"

"Of course not."

Bishamon glared at him, her face still flushed and red.

"Veena forgive me," Kazuma said. "But I could have sworn you were calling for me."

"Well obviously I wasn't! Is there anything else?"

"N-no," Kazuma said. He blushed. "Forgive me again, Veena!"

And he bowed quickly before somehow managing to negotiate the door.

xXx

.

"Veena, may I ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it?" She was drifting off to sleep; she felt him nudge his face against the back of her ear.

"Remember that time I walked in on you?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I've always wondered...Veena were you thinking about me?"

"I was," Bishamon said. She felt him smile against her neck. She laced her fingers between his. "You're in no position to talk, though, what with all those filthy comics Yato drew for you."

"I like to think I was rather discreet." He rubbed her shoulder affectionately, smiling and dropping a kiss against her nape.

She grinned and rolled over to her side to kiss him, draping her leg around his waist and wrapping his shoulders with her arms.


	18. Water works (NC-17)

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.

They were kissing in the bed. The sheets rustled, and as Kazuma rolled her onto her back the sheets tangled around them.

He made quick work of the sheets, pulling them out of their way and pushing them to the side. Veena gasped and smiled at him as he slid his hands down and under her nightgown, thumbing her nipples and mouthing the side of her neck.

She had told him awhile ago that she preferred him to be on top. _"Really?" he said. Veena cuddled against him and nodded her head against his chest. "I would have thought being on top would be better for you - there'd be more stimulation, first of all, and you can control the speed and tempo."_

 _"I already control everything," Veena said. Her eyes flicked upward, meeting his. "It just makes me feel better when you do it, Kazuma. It reassures me that I'm not forcing you."_

She let out a soft cry, Kazuma having pushed up her nightgown and gently kissing her nipples and massaging her breasts. He loved her breasts. The thought would have stung her before, but now he was able to enjoy them fully. Veena's breasts were warm and soft; when she leaned over him, they squished up against his chest like pillows, and when she was on top they were pendulous, swaying a little with her movements. But what he liked best were the soft little sounds she made when he touched them, when he closed his mouth reverently over her nipple or gently circled one wet finger around her areola.

Her nipples were hard now, small and pebbled against his tongue as he licked and nibbled, gently.

She was rocking her pelvis upward, a needy, hungry movement, and Kazuma took that as a cue to move lower. He helped her kick off her panties - plain white cotton, comfortable and utilitarian - before spreading his fingers between her pink, wet slit and gently licking the fleshy nub at its apex.

She was already so wet, she was smearing obscenely against his face and chin. The muscles of her buttocks tightened; her pelvis rocked, sliding her flesh along his tongue as he licked and sucked and gently slipped his fingers into her. She cried out; her stomach trembled. Her thighs strained and pushed against him.

And then she came, the sudden staccato movements of her pelvis and upper body surprising him.

She fell back onto the bed, loose-limbed and pliant, but she let her knees fall on either side of her as if in invitation. Quietly he pulled off the rest of his clothing - a plain T-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms - before pressing the head of his cock against her entrance.

He slid inside her without any resistance.

Before they were lovers, he often fantasized about this. In the darkness of his room, he would stroke the pads of his thumb and fingers up and down his shaft, the slippery wetness of saliva or lotion approximating a woman's warmth. He often wondered what it would feel like, being able to kiss her open-mouthed or rub his mouth along the side of her jaw. Lesser shinki would crumble under the weight of an unrequited love, but he understood fully that his love for her would never be reciprocated. He loved her and cherished her, he would give up his name and life for her. He saw no reason to feel guilty for indulging in a little harmless fantasy: he never dreamed that one day, he'd get used to making love to her.

She felt good. That was all his mind was able to focus on, at this moment. She felt good, and even if he wasn't inside her, the wet noises between her legs and her soft breathing would be enough to tip him over the edge. His penis throbbed. He swallowed and slowed his strokes.

It was the one thing that embarrassed him about their lovemaking - sometimes she felt so good, he'd lose control and come too quickly. He'd make up for it, of course. He'd finger her or go down on her, because Kazuma if nothing was meticulous about the follow-up.

"What-" Veena's eyes snapped open. "Kazuma, what's wrong?"

"Forgive me, Veena." He kissed her neck and smiled. "I was about to come."

"It's okay," she said. She smiled up at him. "Go ahead. I want you to."

"Are you sure?" he said. "You're nowhere close to coming."

"I already came earlier. Really, it's okay."

She stroked his cheek with her thumb, tenderly.

They kissed again, and Kazuma started thrusting with more purpose. Bishamon gasped - he pumped into her with a steady rhythm, fitting their bodies so that he was hitting a sensitive spot. He kissed her as he thrust, panting a little into her mouth and nudging his forehead against hers. Somehow the movement reminded her of the time she cut him with Yugiha - the same ragged, shallow breaths, the movement of his body, reaching forward and covering hers - until he let out a soft, startled cry, shuddering hard and pulsing deep inside of her.

His cheek pressed against hers as he sagged against her body. His heart was pounding; his skin was damp and warm.

She pressed a kiss against the side of his cheek and smiled, fluffing his hair, affectionately. "I love you," she said, smiling.

Kazuma pulled back to look at her, shocked. His eyes filled with tears.

"Kazuma? What- why are you crying?" Bishamon cupped his face, bewildered. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, sheepishly.

"Bishamon-sama. You never...you never told me that before." He smiled. "I've never been so happy."

"What?" Bishamon stared at him. "I've always loved you - Kazuma I thought you knew!"

"I love you too." He smiled but his voice broke a little. He buried his face against her neck and started crying quietly. "I love you so much, Veena."

"Oh boy," Bishamon said. She kissed the top of his head and stroked his hair. "This is my fault. I should learn to communicate better."

He laughed softly and sniffed, wiping his eyes.

"But really, this is pretty ridiculous," Bishamon said, and she shifted him closer, frowning.

"You're still inside me, I just assumed you knew."


	19. Part 3: Gossip

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.

"I heard Kazuma-san has finally confessed to Lady Bishamon," Mayu said. "I can't imagine how strange that must be, having your Master courting your exemplar."

"To be honest, if they hadn't told us, we wouldn't have known," Kinuha said. She took a sip of her coffee, thoughtfully. "Kazuma-san is exacting as always, and Ane-sama hasn't changed at all."

"Well that makes sense, when they're on patrol they have to be professional," Mayu said.

"Even in private they don't act any differently," Kinuha said. Mayu raised her eyebrows. "Not that I make the habit to spy on them!" Kinuha said. "But there have been times I'd see them talking in the grotto or walking in the corridors, and all those times it's usually just Kazuma-san giving Ane-sama another report."

"It's true!" Tsuguha said. She poked her head up from the booth behind them. "Ane-sama doesn't say anything, but all Kazuma-senpai does is complain about her clothes!"

"That really hasn't changed either," Kinuha said.

"Well at least they're being professional," Mayu said.

They took a sip of their drinks. Mayu traced the rim of her glass.

"I don't suppose you know if they're..." Mayu dropped her voice. "You know... _having relations_."

Kinuha reddened. "Mayu-san, really! What kind of question is that?" Kinuha said.

"It's just that that no-good Jersey has been saying all sorts of perverted things. The last time we spoke with Kazuma, he had given him a book of sex positions and a bottle of flavored lube."

"Well I think that's more a reflection of your former master than it is our exemplar," Kinuha said.

xXx

.

In truth, none of Bishamon's shinki had ever seen Kazuma or their master act anything at all like a couple.

"I don't think they're doing anything," Aiha said. She crossed her arms and stuck her chin out, defiantly. "Ane-sama is much too pure and Kazuma-san would never defile her! They are just two old souls who are meant to be together."

"And what?" Tsuguha said. "Do paperwork and talk about ayakashi sighting reports?"

"Wait," Mineha said. "Ane-sama and Kazuma-san are a couple?"

Aiha rolled her eyes. " _Of course_ they're a couple, they made the announcement a million years ago! Read it in the diary, geez!"

"You don't have to be so mean about it," Mineha said, frowning.

"You guys, you guys." Tsuguha motioned for them to come closer. "How about we spy on them?"

"What?!"

"Tsuguha what are you smoking?"

"Don't you wanna see?" Tsuguha said. " _No one's_ seen them kiss or hold hands, they're always so stiff and formal! I just wanna see Ane-sama happy," Tsuguha said. She smiled, dreamily. "Kazuma-senpai has a true, pure love! I just want to see them as a happy couple for once!"

"And here I thought you said my romance stories were stupid," Aiha said.

"C'mon! What's the harm? We won't _spy_ spy on them. We'll just...you know! Take a look around."

(They followed them, and it was boring. Just more reports and a few stray comments. There were no furtive kisses or secret caresses, and there definitely weren't any longing looks or bedroom eyes between them. Tsuguha and Aiha wondered if they were even going out at all.)

xXx

.

If you asked a grouchy old man, he'd tell you it was none of his business.

Kuraha was technically Kazuma's junior, but even though Kazuma-san had a few centuries' worth of experience over him, in life and love, he was still rather young.

He was in his lion form again, sleeping at the foot of Bishamon's bed. He had often slept in the bed with his lady like this, and of course harbored no untoward thoughts toward her while she slept; the first time he slept there after she and Kazuma-san announced their relationship, Kazuma-san was shocked to see him curled up on top of the comforter, grooming his paw and swatting his tail, lazily.

"K-Kuraha?!"

" _Ah Kazuma-san. My apologies. There was a patch of warm sunlight on the bed earlier, and I thought I would help myself._ "

Kazuma's face was red. He pushed up his glasses, shakily.

"Don't mind him, Kazuma," Bishamon said. She was already preparing for bed, unwrapping a shawl from her shoulders. "Kuraha sometimes sleeps here from time to time. I just love sleeping next to his lion form - he's so nice and warm!"

"Oh," Kazuma said, and then, "I will sleep in my quarters, then," and his voice was exactly the same as if he were finishing a report, then acknowledging his dismissal.

"Kazuma, a moment," Bishamon said, and she turned to Kuraha.

" _I understand, my lady_ ," Kuraha said, before she could say anything, and he gracefully jumped off the bed, arching his back and waving his tail.

(Later, as they grew more comfortable with each other, Kuraha would sleep at the foot of the bed while Kazuma and Bishamon slept beside each other. Kazuma-san always held the lady from behind, his sleeping face pressed against her neck and his arm slung heavily around her waist. A protective gesture. Sometimes Kuraha's lion instincts would take over, and he would sprawl heavily behind Kazuma, purring and nudging him up against his mane, and kneading his back with big, soft paws.)


	20. Low-key

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.

Once the newness of their relationship wears off, sex with Kazuma is fairly low-key.

It's surprising, really, how comfortable and familiar it's gotten. He doesn't sting her now - that whole issue seemed to resolve itself on its own after awhile - and he no longer second-guesses himself when he reaches out for her. She likes how they sometimes would just lie in bed and kiss, their faces close, his hand palming the side of her cheek. She likes looking at his face - the large green eyes that were fringed with dark lashes, and the wisps of brown hair that would fall over his forehead - and she likes how his eyes would close when she'd tilt her face upwards to kiss him, smiling against his soft, dry lips and gently probing his mouth with her tongue.

(Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he'll reach out for her, kissing her softly and slipping inside her easily. It's as perfectly natural and normal as breathing, and Bishamon sometimes chastises herself for not doing this earlier.)


	21. Couch

.

.

"Kazuma, come here a minute."

"Hm?" Kazuma rounded the corner, walking to the couch where Veena was lying. "What is it that you need?"

Veena smiled and patted the couch cushion, propping herself on her elbows and waiting for Kazuma to sit. He did; promptly she rested her head against his lap, and laid back down.

This wasn't the first time Veena had accosted him like this - in point of fact, Kazuma was quite used to her randomly wanting to lie her head on his lap, either after a long mission or after her early bouts with Yato. The only difference now is that he could card his fingers through her hair without hesitation, stroking the soft skin of her nape without having to hold back his smile.

"Mm, this feels good," Veena said, and she cuddled against his lap, turning so that her cheek was flush against his stomach. "You've always known just how to stroke me."

"You make it sound like you're a cat," Kazuma said, smiling.

Veena sighed. "That was actually my poor attempt at flirting with you."

Kazuma laughed, softly. He felt her rest cheek against his lap again; quietly he began untangling a few errant strands of hair.

"Did it bother you before?" She shifted on her forearms, looking up at him.

"Why do you ask?" Kazuma said. Veena frowned.

"I was just thinking how careless I was with you, all these years." She rested her cheek back on his lap, thoughtfully. "I used to touch you like this and you never once stung me. I can't help but think that was cruel of me. Parading myself in front of you, offering something you couldn't have."

"I never thought about it that way," Kazuma said. "Being near you made me happy."

Veena smiled.

Before they were lovers, Kazuma would have to bite back the urge to kiss her nape, or let his fingers brush against hers. Sometimes, just being near her was overwhelming, and he would have to check himself and focus on the task at hand. But now he knew that she liked it when he kissed her; that she smiled whenever he'd nuzzle his face against her ear.

They kissed. Veena had pushed up on her arms to kiss him, and long pieces of hair fell over her face. He pulled back slightly to push back the strands, and she tilted her head, letting their lips brush and she smiled, softly. Then she leaned back against his lap, tucking herself against his body.

It was the happiest he felt in years.


	22. Spying

.

.

Hiyori is sitting at a cafe, stirring her ice cream soda, when she sees Kazuma and Bishamon walk toward a table a few rows away from her.

"Iki-san? What is it?" one of her friends says, and Hiyori turns and smiles.

"Mm! Nothing! I just thought I saw something," Hiyori says. Her other friends turn and start talking to each other.

Hiyori glances back. That's _definitely_ Kazuma and Bishamon, except they're not in uniform. They're both dressed normally, Kazuma in a white button-up shirt and Bishamon wearing a skirt and blouse. The waitstaff keep walking past them but neither one of them seem to mind. They're talking and Bishamon casually touches Kazuma on the arm.

"Iki-san? Hello? Earth to Iki-san?"

"Oh! Sorry!" Hiyori says. Her friends smirk and roll their eyes.

"Only Iki-san would be staring at an empty table."

"Yeah. Seriously Hiyori, you can be so weird."

Hiyori glances back again. Kazuma is smiling. He leans forward to give Bishamon a kiss.

Hiyori knocks her ice cream float onto the table.

"Damn, Hiyori! What the heck?"

"Sorry," Hiyori says, and she stands. "I'll go get some napkins," she says, and she runs around the corner.

(A few days later, Hiyori will run into Bishamon at the mall, looking at an atrocious hot pink travesty of a dress and frowning in front of a mirror. Hiyori will smile and gently steer her to a more suitable aisle, thinking privately that poor Kazuma-san would have a heart attack, and thanking her lucky stars that she ran into Bishamon there.)


	23. Lion

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.

It was late, well-past 2 AM, but Bishamon was still awake. She and Kazuma had spent the better half of the night sorting through the piles of wishes that had collected near her shrine; eventually they finished, and Kazuma was so tired he was leaning his cheek against her shoulder. That was unusual for him - during their working hours, he tried to remain as professional as possible, lest one of the other shinki came in to see them.

She patted him on the shoulder, gently shaking him awake.

"Go to sleep," Bishamon said, and Kazuma's eyes blearily cracked open. "I'll finish up here and join you soon."

It took less than an hour to finish. She stacked her wishes up neatly on her desk, switched off the lamp, and made her way to the bedroom, where Kazuma was already sleeping. Opening the door, she felt her way across the room, removing her shawl and slinging it over the chair.

And then she saw it: Kazuma asleep against Kuraha's lion form, his face pressed up against Kuraha's mane. He was sleeping deeply and Kuraha was purring, and Bishamon bit back a laugh, covering her mouth.

She picked up her shawl and draped it on them both.


	24. A Question (rated R)

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.

"Kazuma-san, can I ask you something?" Yukine says.

"Of course. What is it?" Kazuma says. He watches as Yukine fidgets with his sleeves.

"What's it like, having sex?" Yukine says.

"Huh?" Kazuma says.

"It's just that Yato would make fun of me and I didn't know who else to ask!"

"Um," Kazuma frowns. "Is there any particular reason why you're asking?"

"Not really." Actually, Yukine had accidentally come across Hiyori's stash of naked wrestling men - Yato stole one, doodled tits and long hair on the seme and wrote KAZU-CHAN on the man being pounded. Hiyori was so mad she refused to talk to Yato for a week.

"Well," Kazuma says, remembering that he is Yukine's teacher, such things were his responsibility. "What is it that you want to know?"

Yukine glares, blushes, and digs his toe into the ground.

"What do boobs feel like?" Yukine asks.

"'Boobs'?" Kazuma echoes.

"Yeah. I mean, they're like, blobs of fat, right? Yato says they're like bags of sand but that idiot jersey probably's never touched one, except maybe Hiyori's once when she was sleeping-"

"That does not sound very proper," Kazuma says, frowning.

"So are they, like, soft? What do they feel like? Does it hurt when you squeeze 'em?"

"Um." Kazuma considers.

"Palm the muscle of your calf when your leg is relaxed," Kazuma says. "A breast feels much like that."

"Boobs feel like legs?" Yukine says.

"Er, not exactly. But more the weight and heft of it."

"How about when you're inside?" Yukine says.

"Ah..." Kazuma frowns, trying to think of an appropriate answer. "If you were to suck on your fingers, that would approximate the warmth and wetness, I believe. The vaginal walls are much like resting your finger flat on your tongue."

"Huh," Yukine says. Suddenly sex doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

"But more importantly, Yukine, didn't you come here to practice?" Kazuma says. Yukine nods.

"Yeah," Yukine says, and he lifts his fingers in a halberd. "Thank you, Kazuma-san!"

xXx

.

Yato is climbing through the window, a piece of dried squid hanging from his mouth, when he sees Yukine sucking on his fingers and fondling his calf.

Yukine's eyes widen. He pulls his hand from his mouth.

"O-oi! You shitty jersey! Don't you know how to knock?!"

"The hell are you doing, Yukine?" Yato says.

"N-none of your business! Go away!"

("That bastard god of calamity!" Bishamon says, while Kazuma is trying his best to calm her down. She's holding the magazine that Yato had doodled all over - the seme with tits and hair and PSYCHO BITCH emblazoned in black marker.

Yato had just finished delivering it to her house.)


	25. Paperwork

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.

"What's wrong?" Bishamon asked, as Kazuma frowned and hunched over a stack of papers.

"Oh, nothing," Kazuma said, and he smiled, apologetically. "I just have a kink in my neck from sitting in one position for too long. It's really nothing to concern yourself over."

Bishamon nodded, standing and picking up a stack of papers. Kazuma bent back over the desk - ostensibly to keep reading the treatises piled in front of him - and was so absorbed in his task that he didn't notice Bishamon standing behind him.

She began massaging his neck. Kazuma started, surprised.

"Veena?"

"You always do this for me." Bishamon smiled. "I think it's gone far too long without me returning the favor, don't you?"

Kazuma blushed. "That really is not necessary," he said. He could feel the tips of her fingers pressing in firm circles against the muscles of his nape. He exhaled, slowly. "I don't want to trouble you."

"It's no trouble." She pulled up a chair and sat behind him, pressing her thumbs on the knots of his nape and shoulders. "I like touching you."

Kazuma's blush deepened. He swallowed and closed his eyes.

Kazuma's neck was one big knot; Bishamon concentrated on the taut triangle of muscle by his shoulders, kneading her way out, then back in. Kazuma leaned against her touch, his head hanging loosely over his chest as she worked.

Finally, Bishamon leaned against his back, resting one arm around his waist and hugging him from behind. Kazuma glanced up, then smiled, shyly.

The sex they had that night was tired but affectionate, and after they cleaned themselves and got ready to sleep, she cupped her body against his and held him, closely.

She was beginning to drowse, her face tucked against a comfortable spot between Kazuma's neck and shoulder, when he moved, suddenly.

"What-" Bishamon blinked her eyes open. "What is it?"

"I just realized, I still have three more grant proposals to read and another fifty-page report to skim before the next colloquy."

"Ugh, do it tomorrow," Bishamon said.

"Veena, the god's colloquy is next week and the heavens are awaiting your approval. And I believe you were the one who told me to read and summarize everything," Kazuma said.

"Tomorrow," Bishamon said. "Or at the very least, be polite and wait until I go to sleep."

Kazuma snorted. That was a noise Bishamon wasn't used to hearing.

"You're nice and warm and comfortable and I don't want to sleep alone," Bishamon said.

"Then call Kuraha," Kazuma said, but his eyes were smiling. She made an irritated noise and pushed him back down onto the mattress.

"Really, Kazuma," Bishamon said, and she lazed against him. "You should be thanking your lucky stars you get to share my bed."

He picked a strand of hair that had fallen messily over her face.

"I do," he said, quietly. "Every day."

He smiled and she smiled back at him. They kissed and it was nice and warm.

Kazuma sighed. "Veena I'm sorry, but I really need to see about those reports-"

"Go, _go_." She rolled and pulled the blankets over her shoulder. "I'd rather you do it than me, anyway."

He sat up and picked his glasses up from the nightstand. "Goodnight," he said. She swatted at him as he was about to leave.

It was dark when she finally felt the side of the bed sink with the weight of another person. The sheets rustled, and she felt him curl up against her body and sigh, contentedly.

"Love you," she said. She felt him kiss her behind her ear.

"Love you too."


	26. Gossip, part 2

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.

It was 2 AM when Tsuguha noticed it.

"Aiha-senpai! Aiha-senpai!"

"What?" Aiha said. She was in bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Kazuma-senpai isn't in his room!" Tsuguha said.

"He isn't?!" Aiha sat up.

"What are you guys doing?" Mineha said, from the bunk bed across from them. Tsuguha motioned for her to come over.

Tsuguha didn't mean to spy, exactly. It was just they came back late from their last patrol, and Tsuguha had forgotten to ask Kazuma-senpai if there was anything she could do to improve. "So I went to his room and knocked, and he wasn't there," Tsuguha said. "So I thought I'd wait a bit and ask him when he came back. And it's _2 AM_ you guys, he still isn't there!"

"So?" Mineha said.

"Don't you get it, Mineha? He's probably with Ane-sama!"

Aiha clapped her hands and squealed.

"I don't get why you guys are so hung up on this," Mineha said, frowning.

They snuck over to Kazuma's quarters. Like Tsuguha said, his room was empty. "I told you!" Tsuguha said. She tugged down her hat and grinned, wickedly. "He's probably with Ane-sama as we speak! I bet they're kissing and cuddling and even _making love_."

Aiha clapped and squealed even louder.

"Aiha. Tsuguha," Kazuma said. The girls jumped and turned.

"K-Kazuma-senpai?"

"What are you doing here?" Aiha said.

"This is my room," Kazuma said, frowning. He was carrying a stack of papers. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Aiha and Tsuguha stared.

"We were just wondering if you were with Ane-sama," Mineha said.

"Mineha!"

"What the heck, Mineha, shut up!"

"I was," Kazuma said. His frown deepened. "I had a number of correspondences I needed her to approve before I sent them off to the heaven's registry."

"Oh."

Aiha sniffed. _Kazuma-san has an unrequited love!_

"Do you need something from her?" Kazuma said.

"Uh! Not really! We were just, uh..." Tsuguha grinned and rubbed her neck, nervously. "We were just in the area! Goodnight, Kazuma-senpai!"

"Yeah, goodnight, Kazuma-san!" Aiha said.

"Er, goodnight," Kazuma said.

They bowed and left, running down the hall.

xXx

.

"What are you young ones doing now?" Kuraha said. He had caught the three of them spying on Kazuma through the bushes. "Kazuma-san deserves his privacy. Why are you three spying on him?"

"We just feel bad," Aiha said. "Kazuma-san loves Ane-sama, but Ane-sama doesn't even give him the time of day! Look at the way he looks at her," Aiha said.

Kuraha sighed, loudly. "That is none of your concern."

"But, Kuraha-san! You're the closest to Kazuma-san and Ane-sama out of all of us! Don't you think it's weird how they're never together?"

"The lady is busy with her work," Kuraha said. "And Kazuma is busy managing the household."

"Ne, Kuraha-san?" Mineha said. "Since we're talking about Kazuma-san and Ane-sama..."

"Yes?"

"...you sleep with Ane-sama when you take your lion form, right? Does Kazuma-senpai ever spend the night?"

"Mineha!" Tsuguha and Aiha gaped at her, scandalized.

"What? You guys want to know, right?" Mineha said.

"You realize how disgraceful your actions are to both the lady and Kazuma-san, correct?" Kuraha said. "Really. You three should be working to better yourselves, not chasing over idle gossip."

xXx

.

"Come," Ane-sama said. "Ryoki." And Mineha transformed into a broken mirror, landing into Ane-sama's hand.

Ane-sama had been making the effort to use her broken shinki more, which is why she was using Mineha instead of a proper mirror, carefully applying her makeup.

" _You know, Ane-sama. You're so beautiful, you don't even need makeup,_ " Mineha said. Ane-sama smiled.

"You're the second person to tell me that today," Ane-sama said, smiling.

" _Is Kazuma-san the first?_ "

"He was. And he likes to remind me of that often."

Ane-sama smiled. She always smiled when she talked about Kazuma-san, but Tsuguha and Aiha never seemed to notice.

" _Ane-sama, may I ask you something?_ "

"Hm? What is it, Mineha?"

" _The others have been wondering why you don't spend more time with Kazuma-san. You're in a relationship, right? But the only time we see you talk to him is when he's giving you a report._ "

"Kazuma is often busy with his work," Ane-sama said. "For all my gifts, I'd be lost without him. He's the one who runs this household."

" _Ane-sama?_ "

"Yes, Mineha?"

" _Do you have sex with Kazuma-san?_ "

Ane-sama blinked.

" _I'm sorry if this is too personal! But you told us once we could ask you anything and Aiha and Tsuguha have been wondering-_ "

Ane-sama laughed, delighted. "Mineha, what I love best about you is your fearless spirit! Yes, I do have sex with Kazuma. And I very much enjoy it."

" _Is it alright if I tell Tsuguha and Aiha?_ "

"Well it's no big secret. If they want to know, they can ask me themselves."

" _I won't say anything, Ane-sama_."

xXx

.

In the exchange diary, Aiha and Tsuguha wrote in large magic marker:

DOES ANE-SAMA SLEEP WITH KAZUMA-SAN?

Ane-sama's answer:

 _Sometimes I fall asleep with him still in my ear :3_


	27. Red String

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.

There was a single red string tied to Bishamon's plaque. It had been there since before the time Kazuma was even named, and when Bishamon first saw it, she yelled at the gods who had matched her. "Who did this?" Bishamon said. She waved her plaque in the air, while the other gods looked at her, nonplussed. "I'm one of the seven lucky gods, romance is forbidden! This better not be some kind of joke!"

Ookuninushi shrugged and plucked the plaque from Bishamon's hand. "Don't worry about it," Ookuninushi said, and he handed it back to her. "I got lots of strings tied to mine. They're all just humans - you probably have someone who's really devout."

"I guess," Bishamon said. She stuck the plaque back in the wall.

Centuries later, after Kazuma became her exemplar, her thoughts returned to the plaque again. It was Kazuma's first time being at the matchmaking, and when he figured out that gods could be matched to humans too, the first thing he did was check her plaque. Bishamon remembered how he picked at the string, frowning.

"It's just a sign that one of the humans really worshiped me," Bishamon had said.

"If that's the case, why aren't there more red strings?"

"Eh?"

Kazuma's glasses gleamed. "Ookuninushi and Ebisu have more strings than you do. My goal will be for you to have more strings than all of them!"

Bishamon sighed and shook her head.

It was the Month of No Gods again, but now they were in a relationship. The other gods were busy matchmaking and Kazuma had disappeared somewhere to get her a drink. Bishamon stood over her plaque, frowning.

She had never bothered to check the name. The whole idea of a goddess being matched to a human was so preposterous to her, she didn't see the point. But now it nagged on her, and she couldn't help but be a little bit curious. She tugged the string until the plaque at the human end loosened, falling from its perch and clattering on the floor.

Bishamon picked the plaque up. Her eyes widened.

It was Kazuma's real name, etched delicately into the wood.

"Oh? You're looking at that plaque again?" Kazuma peered over her shoulder, carrying their drinks. An icy terror gripped her. Kazuma had the ability to grasp things, and surely he would put two and two together. The thought that she, his idiot master, exposed him to a god's greatest secret unknowingly - at the matchmaking festival, of all places! - made her suddenly afraid.

"Don't worry," Kazuma said, gently. Bishamon looked back at him, startled. Kazuma smiled. "I'm not jealous, Veena. This thing's been tied to your name for centuries. That human's long since died."

"Oh." Bishamon exhaled, slowly. Kazuma plucked the plaque from her hands and frowned.

"He died young," Kazuma said, looking at the plaque. "A shame. The other humans who are tied to gods at least carried on human relationships. It seems whoever this was never did."

"That's what happens when you worship too zealously," Bishamon said. She took the plaque from him and hung it back on the wall.

At some point, Ookuninushi had grabbed Bishamon's arm so that he could talk to her excitedly about his new branch shrine in Hawaii. The other gods listened politely while Bishamon cast a quick glance at Kazuma, who was waiting patiently on the other side of the room. His red string of fate had been tied to hers for centuries. How was it that she never knew?

"Oh. Veena. Are you done?" Kazuma stood up as she approached. Bishamon smiled, kissing his cheek.

"This meeting's boring me," Bishamon said, sitting next to him. She rubbed his back and absently leaned against his arm.


	28. Takemikazuchi

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.

The crowd was getting on Takemikazuchi's nerves, and he leaned against the wall, glaring.

Once again, Bishamon was parading around her shinki. Bishamon had always been an insufferable woman, and somehow the last two colloquys they had both involved her.

That Kazuma brat annoyed him. Takemikazuchi's eyes narrowed. How that boy became a hafuri even when his Kiun couldn't was a source of irritation for him.

"Kazuma-kun," Takemikazuchi said. Kazuma looked up as Takemikazuchi sauntered toward him.

"Takemikazuchi-sama." Kazuma bowed, deferentially. Takemikazuchi smiled.

"Keeping your master on the right path, I hope?" he swirled his drink, watching Kazuma's face.

"Of course," Kazuma said, politely. Takemikazuchi took a slow drink from his cup, keeping his eyes trained on him.

That boy seemed ordinary enough. Even with that ridiculous gray military outfit, he still looked like a boy playing dress up. Not only was this boy a hafuri, but rumor had it this boy somehow managed to bed the great Bishamonten - the thought of it made his war blood boil.

"You know, I have always wondered how it was that you became a hafuri," Takemikazuchi said. "You are just an earring, away from enemy fire. I don't see how you could have risked your name."

"I obtained the help from a god of calamity," Kazuma said, mildly. "But I'm sure you've already heard the story."

Takemikazuchi took another long drink. He kept his eyes focused on him.

"Well. In either case, I'm sure you're serving your master swimmingly," Takemikazuchi said. He smiled. "Even if they say the way you serve her...is rather unsavory."

He watched Kazuma's face. There it was - that brief flicker of unease - that Takemikazuchi latched onto.

"I heard the rumors," Takemikazuchi said. He leaned closer.

"They say the great Bishamonten has taken her hafuri to her bed."

He watched. The boy stared heatedly at the floor.

Bishamon was talking with a few other gods when she felt a small prick at the back of her neck. She turned sharply. Takemikazuchi was talking to Kazuma in the corner.

"Bishamon?" the other gods looked at her. "Is something wrong?"

"A moment," Bishamon said, and she started to walk over.

"To think that the great Bishamonten pleasures herself with you. How preposterous!" Takemikazuchi said. "I think they're all lies, of course. I told those simpletons there is no way the great Bishamonten would be so depraved. After all, a god that lies with his shinki is no better than a farmer sleeping with one of his flock! But then again, your master can be a bit unusual."

He grinned, and saw how the boy's jaw tightened. His eyes were trained deferentially on the ground.

"Of course, only a god can be worthy of the great Bishamonten." Takemikazuchi started to leave, tucking his hands primly into his sleeves. "I suppose one shouldn't listen to those filthy rumors."

"It isn't a rumor," Kazuma said. Takemikazuchi stopped and turned.

"What did you say to me?" Takemikazuchi said.

"I said, it isn't a rumor."

The boy's face hadn't changed, and neither had his voice or demeanor. Takemikazuchi felt a boiling rage.

"You filthy reprobate!" Takemikazuchi said. "You fully admit that you debase your master!"

"At the very least, she seems to enjoy it," Kazuma said.

There was a gasp. Somehow a crowd had gathered around them. Takemikazuchi's eyes narrowed.

"How dare you," Takemikazuchi said. "You failed her twice and yet the great Bishamonten didn't see fit to get rid of you. You may enjoy using your master now, but mark my words, she'll throw you back into the trash heap once she gets bored of you!"

"That won't happen," Kazuma said. He looked at Takemikazuchi, steadily.

"Not when what she has is so much better than the competition."

Another gasp. It was as if the entire room had zeroed in on that singular ability of his, and all the implications that went along with it.

If this were a shinki battle, Takemikazuchi would have lost.

"Ah, Veena," Kazuma said. Bishamon had been standing in the crowd, gaping at him. "I was wondering where you were." And the boy had the audacity to walk up toward his master and place his hand on the small of her back.

"Master?" Kiun said, but Takemikazuchi pushed past him, angrily.

"Forgive me, Veena," Kazuma said, in a low voice. "I didn't want you to see me act that way."

"I understand. You did it to keep from blighting me, right?" Veena said.

"Contempt is the only weapon a shinki has," Kazuma said. "I only regret that I dragged you into it."

Veena smiled at him reassuringly. "Well it is true what you said, you are better than the competition," Veena said. She looked up at the ceiling, thoughtfully.

"I just didn't think you'd actually say it out loud."


	29. Takemikazuchi, part 2 (rated R)

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.

She shoved him back down against the futon, ripping off his clothes in the middle of one of the private resting rooms away from the meeting area. She didn't even bother turning on the lights. The door at least was locked, though Kazuma could still hear the idle chatter of the participants floating outside.

"Tell me," she gasped. She was riding him hard, her face flushed and mouth hanging open. "Tell me again how much better you are than the competition."

"Wh-what?" Kazuma said.

"Tell me!" she said, and she bent down to suck hard on his jugular.

"Uh." Kazuma couldn't think, not when she was pistoning her hips on top of him or shoving him roughly down against the futon. "Very."

She threw her head back and moaned loudly, slamming her hips on top of him and kissing him, violently.

Back at the conference, Kazuma swore that the other gods were frowning at them, but Bishamon carefully straightened her hat and dusted her jacket, and there wasn't a single hair in her bun that was out of place.

"At the very least, this meeting isn't boring," Bishamon said, smiling.


	30. Takemikazuchi, part 3 (rated R)

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.

They had gone out for drinks, and while normally Kazuma would just spend the night nursing a single beer or daintily sipping seltzer water and cranberry juice, Bishamon noticed that for once he actually seemed to be drinking. "I thought you didn't like alcohol," Bishamon said. Kazuma smiled.

"That was probably because I avoided drinking while I was around you."

"Really?" Bishamon lowered her glass. "Why?"

"I suppose I was afraid I might say something embarrassing," Kazuma said.

"Embarrassing?"

"Like accidentally confessing my feelings for you." Kazuma smiled. "But I suppose since we're in a relationship, something like that wouldn't matter."

"Aw." Bishamon kissed his cheek and smiled, patting him on the thigh, fondly.

"YO KAZUMA!" Yato said. He waved around his glass, drunkenly. "TELL EVERYONE HOW YOU EMBARRASSED TAKEMIKAZUCHI."

"Um," Kazuma said. "I think most everyone was already there-"

"DIDJA GUYS HEAR HIM? 'CUZ APPARENTLY HE'S A FUCKIN' STUD IN BED!"

"Oh my god," Kazuma said. Yato grinned, slinging an arm over Kazuma's shoulder.

"Ol' Thunder face didn't know what hit him!" Yato said. "He was all, 'Bishamon is gonna throw you in the trash heap!' and Kazuma was all, 'no she won't,' and he was like, 'why?'

And then Kazuma was like, 'BECAUSE I'M A MOTHERFUCKING ROCK STAR, THUNDER FACE! YOU CAN GO SUCK IT!' And then Takemikazuchi did because he's a little bitch!"

Tenjin smirked. "That is fairly accurate, if I rightly recall."

"Yo Kazuma," Yato said. "How often do you guys do it, anyway?"

"That's none of your business!" Kazuma said.

"Bishamon?" Yato and Tenjin looked at her. Bishamon sipped her drink.

"Once, maybe twice a day."

"VEENA!" Kazuma said, horrified, as every other god and shinki's eyes widened.

"Whoa!"

"That much?"

"How can you even walk?"

"Is that a lot?" Bishamon said. "We just do it in the mornings and sometimes when we have time at night." Truth be told, making love to Kazuma was Bishamon's favorite way to wake up.

"Wow!" Kofuku said. "High five, Kazu-chan! That's even more than me and Kokki!"

"This is so embarrassing," Kazuma said.

"Yo Kazuma, it's no big deal! Everyone already knows you're a closet pervert." Yato held up his Bisha fan comic which he mysteriously happened to have in one of the pockets of his jersey. "See?"

"Yato where did you get that?! Put that away!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Yukine said. He and Hiyori had come from back, each holding a glass of juice.

"Grown-up stuff, Yukine! Take Hiyori outside so we don't taint her virgin ears!"

"Hey!" Hiyori said. Yukine's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you showing off Kazuma-san's porn?"

("Ne, ne, Bisha~" Kofuku whispered. "Is Kazu-chan really big?"

"He is," Bishamon said, smiling. "He's not too long but he's very thick, and his fingers and tongue are like magic.")

"Yato can you please stop waving that around?!" Kazuma said, because now Yato was standing on the tabletop holding his two-page spread of a naked Bishamon like a banner.


	31. Takemikazuchi, part 4

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.

A patch of warm sunlight fell on Kazuma's eyes, and he shifted, blinking slowly. Dimly he was aware of the warmth of the bedspread and the soft pillow beneath his head. Birds were chirping. He could hear the soft laughter of the younger shinki playing outside.

"Kazuma?" Veena opened the door, softly. "How are you feeling?"

"What..." Kazuma sat up, groggily. "What time is it?"

Veena smiled. "A little after 2 PM."

"2 PM?!" Kazuma bolted upright. "How could I have let myself sleep in so late?! We had a meeting with the investors at 8 o'clock!"

"I already met with them." Veena sat beside him on the bed, pouring him a glass of water from a pitcher on the nightstand. "Believe it or not, Kazuma, I am quite capable of functioning by myself."

"Forgive me, Veena." Kazuma took the glass of water from her, gratefully. "It was still my responsibility."

He drank. His head throbbed and every muscle in his body ached. He felt disoriented and vaguely nauseous, and even the cool water made his skin turn a shade of sickly green.

 _Perhaps this is a stomach bug,_ Kazuma thought, miserably. Shinki were blessed with immortal bodies bathed in the life force of their gods, and yet they were still susceptible to everyday ailments. Even a simple virus could infect a god.

"How's your head?" Veena asked, after a moment. Kazuma took a gulp of water, swallowing.

"It's fine. Wait, why are you asking me about my head?"

Veena smiled. "You're hungover."

"I-what?" Kazuma stared at her. "I barely had anything to drink."

"It was my fault," Veena said. "You were so embarrassed last night you started taking shot after shot."

He was vaguely aware of being embarrassed, Yato loudly proclaiming Kazuma a "horndog" and suggesting he was only a few drinks away from humping Veena's leg in the corner.

"Did I-" Kazuma's eyes widened. "Did I do anything? _Say_ anything? Veena did I hurt you?"

Veena laughed. "No, of course not." She fluffed his hair fondly. "You just started telling everyone how much you loved me and how lucky you were to have me."

"Oh. That's all?" Kazuma sagged, relieved. "I was afraid I had done something terribly inappropriate."

"Not terribly," Veena said, and she slipped her hand around his waist, cuddling against him.

xXx

.

" _VEEEEEEEENA!_ " Kazuma was saying. Yato had taken the whole thing on video using Kazuma's phone, and took a perverse glee in showing him. " _I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, VEEEENA!_ "

"Oh my god," Kazuma said.

"Wait wait, it gets better!" Yato said. He held up his phone.

" _I'm so lucky to have you, Veena!_ " Kazuma sniffed drunkenly. " _All I had were those stupid comics. I WAS SO LONELY! VEENA I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! I SLEPT WITH A BODY PILLOW AND PRETENDED IT WAS YOU!"_

"Ha ha!" Yato said. "Go cry into your body pillow Kazuma! You're not gonna get laid for _weeks_."

"I don't even remember drinking that much!" Kazuma said. Yato shrugged.

"Blame Kofuku. She's the one who spiked your drink," Yato said.

"Veena?!" Kazuma threw a glance over to Bishamon, who just smiled and shrugged at him, kindly.

"I thought it was cute," Bishamon said, smiling. On the phone, Kazuma started crying drunkenly, planting face-first against Bishamon's chest, before smiling stupidly, slipping his hand into the V-neck of her shirt and sloppily fondling her boobs.


	32. Drunk

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"Kofuku! What did you do?!" Daikoku said.

He and the other gods were watching in horror as Kazuma staggered back and forth around the table, bumping into a chair and slumping next to Bishamon.

"I didn't do anything! All he's drinking is cranberry juice," Kofuku said.

Daikoku's eyes narrowed. "How do you know it's cranberry juice?" Daikoku said.

"Because I tasted it~" Kofuku said. Daikoku grabbed his head in his hands.

"Dammit, Kofuku, I told you not to touch anything!"

"But Kazu-chan's drink looked so tasty! It had a pineapple garnish and a fruity pink umbrella and everything~"

"I think we should probably head home," Bishamon said. She hoisted Kazuma's arm around her shoulder, bearing his weight. "My guide is a little out of sorts."

"Dontcha mean your _boyfriend_?" Yato said.

"I prefer the term 'partner,' but I suppose I could call it that," Bishamon said.

"IYAAAAAA!" Kofuku said. "BISHA HAS A BOYFRIEND!"

Kazuma's chin wobbled. "Veena you have a boyfriend?"

"No, Kazuma." Bishamon sighed. "I was actually talking about you."

xXx

.

They staggered down the darkened street, their footsteps scraping against the pavement.

"Veena, wait. Wait."

"What is it?" Bishamon hefted him across her shoulder.

His gaze drifted hazily. "There's a pothole at one o'clock, half a meter in front of you. Please be careful. If you trip you'll hurt yourself."

Kazuma's foot caught the edge of the pothole. He tripped and pitched forward, sprawling onto the pavement.

"Veena," Kazuma said from the ground. "I've located the pothole."

"Oh boy." Bishamon hooked her hands beneath his arms and pulled him upwards. "Remind me not to wear heels when I'm out drinking with you."

They staggered down the street, Kazuma grinning stupidly while Veena carried him on her back. It would have been easier to just transform him into her earring, but she was trying her best to respect Kazuma as a person. People sometimes needed to be carried. After all, Kazuma had to drag her back to the manor after that picnic under Suzaha's tree. It was only fair.

"Veena," Kazuma said. "Am I burden to you?"

"You mean right now or in general?"

"I...wait. Huh?"

Bishamon tried not to laugh. Apparently that question was too complex to answer in his current state.

"You're not a burden," she said, kindly. "Although you are very heavy."

"You should...you should...you should put me in your ear."

"Hm."

"But I want to stand next to you! I want to stay beside you! I don't want to be inside your ear!"

"Hush. No one's putting you in my ear."

"You have very pretty ears," Kazuma said, earnestly.

They reached their bedroom. Bishamon dragged him inside and he staggered in front of her, falling face-first into the bed. Sighing, Bishamon plucked off his glasses, setting them on the nightstand before getting to the task of undressing him. With some difficulty, she managed to pull off his shirt and tie, then yanked off his socks and pants before hefting him bodily into the bed.

"Veena?"

"Yes, Kazuma?" She tugged a blanket over his shoulders and gingerly slid a pillow under his head.

"I love you."

Bishamon stopped. Kazuma's eyes were hazy, unfocused, but as soon as he caught her gaze he smiled, softly. She smiled and gently stroked his hair.

"I love you too. Get some rest," she said. She lightly kissed his forehead, then stood up to change into her nightgown.

"Veena?"

"Yes, Kazuma?"

She sat on the bed next to him.

"May we have sex?" he asked.

Veena started laughing. "What? Now?"

"We need to keep up our average." He pulled himself into her lap, sinking contentedly against her stomach. "Once, sometimes twice a day, right?"

"I don't know, Kazuma, I don't want to take advantage of you," Bishamon said, smiling. He smiled and kissed her stomach.

"You can take advantage of me whenever you want." He nuzzled her thigh, smiling sleepily. She gently stroked his hair.

The clock ticked. Kazuma's eyes were closed and his breathing had deepened, and it struck Bishamon that it was the first time Kazuma had laid his head on her lap like this. Slowly, she lifted his head and placed it back onto the pillow, before slipping under the covers next to him.

"Veena?"

"Hm?"

"Is it true that I'm your boyfriend?"

"Well I suppose I never really thought about it." Bishamon stroked his hair, thoughtfully. "You're my Kazuma. Everything else is pretty much the same."

"Except that we have sex?"

"Except that we have sex."

"May we have sex now?" he asked again, earnestly. Bishamon smiled.

"Okay," she said, and she smiled up at him. He smiled back at her, then promptly passed out.


	33. Part 4: A Memory

.

.

 _Snow drifted down the valley like ash, wafting down the ink-dark sky._

 _He blinked his eyes, staring upwards. He was standing in the middle of a dirt road, beneath the gnarled trunk of a dead tree. It was cold and he shivered, watching the plume of his breath push out into the cold night air._

 _"Are you lost?" someone said, and he turned._

 _She was more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen, standing in the middle of the dirt road and smiling at him, kindly. Not a noblewoman, but someone who carried herself like one._

 _"My name is Bishamon," she said._

 _"My name is," he began. "I don't remember."_

Kazuma opened his eyes.

It was still nighttime, and Veena was still asleep. Her body was comforting and warm, and quietly he shifted her closer, pressing his lips along the strap of her nightgown and kissing her shoulder, softly.

"Mm. Kazu." Veena shifted. "What's wrong?"

"I was dreaming about the day you named me."

She rolled onto her side to face him. A strand of hair fell over her cheek, which he brushed back with the tips of his fingers.

"I remember," she said. "You were lost and you had nowhere to go. You haunted that spot for days."

"You saved me," he said, softly, and she smiled.

"You saved me too," she reminded him.

They kissed. She sighed and tucked her face against his shoulder.


	34. Hug

.

.

Bishamon really liked hugging Kazuma. Whenever she hugged him, his shirt would crinkle as she pressed into his body, and she could feel warm, pliant skin beneath the starched fabric. He smelled like cologne and clean linen and he had the habit of resting his chin against her shoulder.

There were other things too that she liked: how, if he went to bed before her, he would lie curled up on his side, hugging a pillow to his chest and pressing it against his face. There was something sweetly innocent about it, like a child holding his favorite toy, and invariably whenever she would climb into bed and spoon against his back, he would turn and drape his arm over her, cuddling her half-asleep.

In front of the others, he was the consummate professional, never once betraying a hint that they were in a romantic relationship. But increasingly Bishamon noticed how he would touch her when no one was looking: a subtle brush of his forearm against her elbow, a gentle tap of his shoe against the sole of her foot. If it were any other shinki besides Kazuma, she would think those touches were completely accidental. But they weren't, and sometimes she would glance his way and see the trace of a smile on his lips, so subtle that if you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't catch it.

He blushed easily and often; in private he was affectionate but also incredibly shy. She made it a point to never turn him away when he reached out for her. He had spent the last millennia in a lonely celibacy. Making love to him was the least she could do.

(Not that it was some great sacrifice. She enjoyed their lovemaking, the look of utter devotion on his face and the soft sounds he made when he was inside her.)


	35. Ball (NC-17)

.

.

This is how they kept their relationship relatively private:

They were kissing in bed, Kazuma having kissed a line from Bishamon's collarbone to her breast, and just when he started licking her nipples and reaching a hand down to stroke her, his hand stopped; he lifted his head up, abruptly.

"Wha-?" Bishamon craned her neck upwards. "Kazuma what's wrong?"

Kazuma's eye glinted. "Kuraha is thirty meters from our room."

"Kuraha is in his lion form, he can't turn doorknobs now, don't stop what you're doing."

"Okay."

More kissing. Now Kazuma was gently rubbing the pad of his middle finger against Bishamon's clit, stroking her firmly as he sucked lightly on her nipple. Bishamon moaned softly. Gently she felt him move to position himself against her.

"Veena."

"What?"

"Kinuha and Akiha are coming close to the door."

Bishamon whined. "Don't stop," she said. With practiced deliberateness, she hooked her leg around the small of his back and dug her heel into his flank, pushing him inwards. He cried out softly, the blunt head of his penis slipping into her entrance.

"Veena this probably isn't a good idea," he said. His voice was soft, breathy, as he pushed inside her fully, stroking in and out. "I'm pretty sure they're coming toward us."

"How far away are they?"

"Twenty meters and closing."

"The door is locked," she said. "They might pass us by."

His voice was ragged. "We should probably stop."

They didn't stop. The bed rocked. Quietly Kazuma breathed heavily against her jugular and rocked into her body, the weight of his pelvis pressed deliciously against her clit, and Bishamon moaned softly, her arms around his back. A dark blush cracked across Kazuma's face as he thrust, and for a moment he seemed to forget the potential threat of Akiha and Kinuha. His strokes were harder now, with gathering purpose. He felt good, and she must have felt good to him, too, because he breathed hard and squeezed his eyes, his mouth going slack and his face red with pleasure.

She reached up to kiss him, and he breathed heavily, panting into her mouth. The mattress springs creaked rhythmically and she felt herself close to coming, the grind of his body against her clit and his cock against her g-spot pushing her closer to the edge.

There was a knocking at the door. "Ane-sama?"

"Shi-" Kazuma didn't quite curse, but he sagged over Bishamon's body, breathing hard but trying not to breathe too loudly. His penis twitched. She could feel his heart beating fast against her skin.

"Don't answer," Bishamon whispered. "Maybe they'll go away."

The knocking grew louder. "Ane-sama? Are you there?"

Kazuma gave her a look. _What do you want me to do?_

"Uh." Bishamon craned her neck over Kazuma's shoulder. "Give me a minute!"

They moved, but the sudden change in position pressed _just so_ against her clit and Bishamon jerked forward, a sudden jolt of pleasure making her gasp.

More frantic knocking. "Ane-sama, it's really important."

"I can't find my clothes!" Kazuma said. His voice was a frantic whisper.

"What?!" Bishamon said.

"My clothes...I don't know where they are!"

"Ane-sama?" More knocking at the door. "We're sorry to bother you, Ane-sama, but it's a bit of an emergency-"

"Call my name!" Kazuma whispered, urgently.

"What?"

"Call my name! Hide me in the drawer."

Kinuha and Akiha waited outside the door. There was the telltale _ding_ of a shinki transforming, but they weren't terribly observant. They didn't notice the slight flash of light beneath the door or hear the frantic opening and shutting of the dresser drawer.

"Kinuha, Akiha." Ane-sama opened the door. Her hair was disheveled; she was wearing her robe. "It's after midnight. What's wrong?"

"It's Kuraha." Akiha and Kinuha were striken. "He was chasing a ball down the corridor and somehow he got his head stuck under the stairs."

"What?!" Bishamon said.

"We need you to change him back to human form." They looked at Bishamon sheepishly.

"I'll be right there!" Bishamon said, and ran out the door.

At that moment, she completely forgot about Kazuma.

xXx

.

Two hours later, Bishamon opened the dresser drawer, where her earring glinted, brightly. "I'm so sorry!" Bishamon said. She picked up her earring, slipping him back into her ear. "Kuraha got his head stuck in the stairway, and even when I turned him back into a person, he still couldn't get out. We ended up having to cut a hole into the banister."

" _Is Kuraha alright?_ "

"He is, he was more embarrassed than anything else."

Kazuma sighed.

" _This is why I always tell Kuraha not to play ball in the house._ "

(They found Kazuma's clothes a few moments later: they had fallen into the crack between the wall and the mattress, pushed down with the bedsheets after Kazuma had straddled Veena.)


	36. Texts

.

.

The first time telephones were introduced, Bishamon had been delighted - the idea that one's voice could carry across the country and be heard on the other end was nothing short of miraculous, and even the gods in Takamagahara didn't have such a marvelous invention.

When they made the switch to portable phones, Bishamon was still delighted. The power of technology, which could fit neatly into her purse! Human wonders never ceased to amaze her.

"What is this?" Bishamon said, and she plucked Kazuma's smartphone from his pocket.

"Oh, that? That is an iPhone," Kazuma said. Bishamon frowned.

"I...phone?"

"That's the name of the brand," Kazuma said. "It's just a normal telephone."

"This doesn't look like a telephone," Bishamon said. Indeed, Bishamon was only acquainted with the flip-phone varieties. "What's this?" Bishamon said.

"That's the text screen," Kazuma said.

"'Text'?"

"So you can send a type-written message to someone instead of calling them."

"...is that like electronic mail?" Bishamon said. Kazuma had just taught her about e-mail a few weeks earlier.

"Similar, but you get the messages in real-time," Kazuma said. Bishamon frowned.

"Will you text me?" Bishamon said. Kazuma laughed.

"Veena. You're standing right next to me."

"I know that! But I want to see what all the fuss is about." She turned his phone over in her hands. "Can you send 'text messages' to my telephone?"

"Of course."

xXx

.

Kazuma was walking in the Near Shore when he got his very first text message from Veena.

[THIS IS BISHAMONTEN]

Kazuma smiled and texted back.

[Hello Veena! I see you've figured out how to send texts :)]

BISHAMON: [YES! They are very useful to send!]

"Yo Kazuma, whatcha doin'?" Yato said. He stood behind Kazuma, peeking over his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sending a text to Veena," Kazuma said. His thumbs tapped on the screen.

"Huh? That pervy woman knows how to send texts?" Yato grabbed his phone.

"Yato!"

"' _What...are...you...wearing?_ '" Yato said, texting.

"Dammit, Yato! Give me back my phone!"

His phone buzzed.

BISHAMON: [I'm not wearing anything ;)]

"THAT PERVY NYMPHO'S ALREADY NAKED?!" Yato said. Kazuma sighed.

"She's probably in the grotto. Give me back my phone, she shouldn't be texting there."

"Oi, Kazuma! Are you dumb? She sent you a winky face!"

"Yato give it back!" Kazuma dove toward Yato's hand, but Yato dodged, texting on his phone.

xXx

.

Bishamon wasn't in the grotto. She was actually sitting next to Kofuku, who was in the middle of an augury when she got the text message from Kazuma:

[What are you wearing?]

 _Wearing?_ Bishamon frowned at her phone. _Why would he need to know what I'm wearing?_

"Ooh, Bisha, what's this?" Kofuku peered over her shoulder.

"Oh, nothing. Kazuma just sent me a very odd text." Bishamon frowned. "He's asking me what I'm wearing, but he just saw me a few hours ago."

"Maybe he's flirting~!" Kofuku said, and she plucked the phone from Bishamon's hands.

"Kofuku-dono?"

" _I'm...not...wearing...anything,_ " Kofuku said, texting.

Bishamon frowned. "Why are you writing that? I'm wearing our standard uniform."

"Nononono, Bisha, Bisha! Kazu-chan is flirting with you, you need to flirt back! You don't wanna hurt his feelings, right?"

Bishamon's phone buzzed. They peered at her phone.

KAZUMA: [Send me a picture.]

" _Let...me...see...you...naked_ ," Yato said, texting.

"YATO, NO!" Kazuma said.

"Oooh yeah, you're right! You wouldn't say it like that!" Yato said.

" _You...want...to...see...my...boobs?_ " Kofuku said, texting.

"He already knows what they look like," Bishamon said, frowning. She tapped the screen. "Also use the word 'breasts.' Boobs make me think of flightless animals."

KAZUMA: [Send me a picture.]

BISHAMON: [What do you want to see? ;)]

KAZUMA: [You know ;)]

BISHAMON: [You want to see my boobs? ;)]  
BISHAMON: [*breasts]  
BISHAMON: [Boobs are flightless animals]

"'Boobs are flightless animals.' Ha ha! Holy crap, Kazuma! You better gimme five yen after she texts you that picture!"

"DAMMIT, YATO! GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE!" Kazuma said.

"I wonder why he's not texting back?" Bishamon said, looking at the screen.

"Betcha Kazu-chan's waiting for a picture~~" Kofuku said.

"A picture of my breasts?" Bishamon said.

"Yesssss, Bisha~. Of course of your breasts! Your perky, perfect, pretty breastssss~. Lift up your shirt, I'll take a picture!"

"KOFUKU!" Daikoku pushed open the rice paper door. "The hell are you doin', corruptin' Lady Bishamon?!"

"Fiiine. I'll do it," Kofuku said, and she lifted up her shirt.

"STOP HITTING ME, KAZUMA! THAT PERVY CHICK SENT YOU A PICTURE! LOOK!" Yato said, and they looked at the screen. It was a picture of a woman's abdomen, with pale creamy skin with her belly button at the center.

Kazuma frowned. "That's not Veena," Kazuma said.

"Wait, what?" Yato took the phone back from him.

"That's not Veena. Her umbilicus doesn't look like that."

"Her what now?"

"Her belly button."

Yato frowned.

"Yo, Kazuma. I know you guys are intimate or whatever, but that's kind of creepy specific," Yato said. The phone buzzed.

BISHAMON: [Now send me something ;)]

"I don't think that's Veena texting," Kazuma said.

"Kazuma, who cares! Take off your shirt!"

"I'm not going to take off my shirt, just let me call Veena and see who has her phone."

"Fine, if you're not gonna do it, I'm gonna do it," Yato said, and he lifted up his shirt.

"...The fuck?" Daikoku said. He squinted at the screen.

"Daikoku~! Did he send it? Did he send the picture?"

"Uh, yeah," Daikoku rubbed his neck. He handed the phone back to Bishamon. "I'm gonna go in the backyard and pretend I didn't see that."

Bishamon looked down at the screen. "That's not Kazuma," Bishamon said.

"It's not?"

"Kazuma has a scar from where I cut him."

"Wooow, Bisha~" Kofuku said. "You really know Kazu-chan's body, huh?" Bishamon dialed Kazuma's number and lifted her phone.

"Crap, your phone's ringing!" Yato said, and he tossed the phone at Kazuma.

"H-hello?"

" _Kazuma._ " Veena on the other line. " _What's going on? Whose chest is that?_ "

"Er," Kazuma glanced at Yato. "How did you know it wasn't my chest?"

" _Because you have a scar on yours and you're not as muscular._ "

"...Oh."

Yato snickered. Kazuma shot him a glare.

"That's besides the point, Veena, whose stomach was that?" Kazuma said.

" _Oh, that? That was Kofuku-dono. I would have sent you a picture of myself but her shinki prevented me from doing so_."

Kazuma closed his eyes. If Veena really did send him a picture of her breasts, heaven knows Kazuma probably would have beat Yato with his phone.

"Well it's a good thing you didn't, Veena, because Yato had my phone. He was the one who was texting you," Kazuma said. He could hear sputtering on the other line.

" _THAT IDIOT MAGATSUKAMI WAS FLIRTING WITH ME?!_ "

"Well technically it sounds like he was flirting with Lady Kofuku."

xXx

.

"So that idiot Magatsukami was the one answering Kofuku-dono's texts?" Bishamon sighed. "That makes sense. I thought it odd you would be asking what I'm wearing."

"Why would I ask you that when I just saw you a few hours earlier?" Kazuma said. "And secondly, Veena, I would never have you send me compromising pictures of yourself. They could end up in the wrong hands or be distributed somewhere outside your purview."

"Hm, you know, that's too bad," Bishamon said. "I actually went to the bathroom and took some snapshots of myself. They're pretty good pictures, too." She opened her phone to show him.

"I'm going to delete these," Kazuma said, and he started tapping on the screen.

"Really? I thought you'd like them."

"Er, I do," Kazuma said, and he blushed. "But I'm happier seeing them in person."

And Bishamon smiled and patted his hand.


	37. Texts, part 2

.

.

"By the way, Veena."

"Hm?"

"'Boobs' are not flightless animals."

"Huh?"

"You are thinking of Dodos. Boobies can actually fly."

"For heaven's sakes Kazuma! We're having sex right now!"

"...sorry."


	38. Ball, part 2 (NC-17)

.

.

The place where Bishamon cut him was a jagged scar; of all her shinki, Kazuma ironically was best suited to take over Kugaha's work, but since he was incapacitated, it fell to Akiha and Kuraha to clumsily cut off his clothes and try to stitch him back together. The result was a raised, red scar that was firm and rubbery to the touch, like someone had slapped on a plastic cord and glued it like a sash across Kazuma's body. In some areas, the skin puckered where the stitches were sewn too tight, while in others fine white lines criss-crossed the areas of overgrown tissue.

It was a miracle Bishamon didn't kill him. But then again, Saiki had been corrupted and dull, and Bishamon's reflexes were such that she was able to pull back at just the last second. Seeing it still made her feel guilty, though, and every time he unbuttoned his shirt she would press her lips reverently against the mark.

It was dark in the bedroom, and everything was quiet except for the rustle of the bedsheets and the soft wet sounds of kissing and heavy breathing. Bishamon had rolled Kazuma onto his back, and was gently kissing the side of his neck and jugular. With one hand, she started undoing the buttons of his shirt, dropping soft kisses along the line of exposed skin. He sighed, softly. She rocked against him, grinding down against his erection and rubbing her mouth against his collarbone.

She leaned back and pulled off her shirt with one graceful motion, before reaching down to undo the buckle to his belt. He was so hard his erection was poking out of the waistband of his pants, and impulsively she bobbed her head forward and took him into her mouth. He cried out, softly. There was a slick wetness beading around the head.

She moved upwards, leaning over his body. He still had his shirt and pants on, but he slid into her easily. The belt clanked a little with the movement, and she felt the fabric bunching up beneath her thighs.

She leaned back to look at her handiwork. Kazuma's shirt was unbuttoned but splayed open, and there was a rectangle of bare skin, which extended from the sharp lines of his collarbones to the dark shadow of his pelvis. The scar cut across diagonally, extending out from beneath the right shoulder of his shirt and cutting a jagged path toward the crest of his left hip bone. She rocked her hips, grinding her clit against his body and relishing the sliding fullness, before dipping down to kiss him hard on the mouth.

"Veena, wait." He breathed hard through his nose. "Let me get my clothes off."

She pulled back and nodded. "Okay."

He shirt was tangled up around his arms; he yanked it back clumsily, then moved to quickly tug off his pants. His pants fell with a thud on the floor - there were still things in his pocket and the belt was heavy. He was still wearing his glasses and socks.

"You look ridiculous," Bishamon said, smiling. He was leaning over her, guiding her so her back was against the bed. He took off his glasses and set them on the nightstand.

"Better?"

"Your socks are still on."

"They won't get in the way."

She swatted him on the shoulder. "Take them off."

He smiled again, and promptly ignored her, pressing the blunt head of his cock against her entrance.

"You know," she said, as he pushed up into her with one smooth stroke. "If someone were to walk in on us, the first thing they'd see is your bare bottom and your socks."

"Somehow I doubt they would be looking at me," Kazuma said.

She gasped and he bent forward to kiss her, thrusting hard and wrapping his arms around her back. He breathed hard through his nose, then broke away, panting open-mouthed and stroking in and out.

"Damn it," he said, and banged the mattress, frustrated.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Bishamon said.

"Yugiha and the twins are coming toward the door."

"Again?" Bishamon said, but Kazuma sighed and pulled out from inside her.

Bishamon banged her head against the mattress. Kazuma was already pulling on his clothes, giving her an apologetic look.

"They're probably going to tell us Yato is sneaking in the courtyard," Kazuma said.

" _What?!_ "

"Ane-sama." Knocking on the door, right on cue. "Ane-sama, please, wake up! There's been a breach in our security!"

Bishamon threw a glance at Kazuma, who was already completely dressed and was looking as if he were giving her a one-on-one report.

Bishamon yanked on her robe as Kazuma answered the door.

Outside, Yugiha rapped his knuckles against the door as Karuha and Kazuha stood behind him, nervously. "Ane-sama?" Yugiha knocked again. "Ane-sama, please wake up! There's been a security breach and we couldn't find Kazuma-san-"

The door opened. Yugiha stepped back, startled.

"Yugiha," Kazuma said. "Karuha. Kazuha."

"O-oh! Kazuma-san! Y-you're already here." Yugiha fidgeted. The twins glanced at each other, confused.

"If this is about Yato siphoning water from our grotto, we're already aware of it." Kazuma's voice was measured. Authoritative, as if he had strolled into Bishamon's room just a few moments ago to tell her this earlier, himself. "I've already let Bishamon-sama know and appropriate measures are already being taken."

"Leave it to Kazuma-san!" Kuraha pumped her fist. "I told you, Yugiha, Kazuma-san was already telling Ane-sama."

"B-but, I was the one on night duty tonight, and-"

"It's alright," Kazuma said, kindly. "I'm glad you were on the lookout."

Bishamon watched as he dismissed them with a nod, before turning to shut the door.

"I don't suppose you want to pick up where we left off?" Kazuma said. Bishamon glared.

"What the hell is Yato doing in our courtyard?"

"As I said earlier, he's siphoning holy water from the grotto. He's actually been at this for about an hour, now."

"And you haven't told me about this, why?"

"Because," Kazuma hesitated. "Because we were, ah, busy. With more important things."

Bishamon sighed and rubbed her head. "I suppose I don't really care," Bishamon said.

"Are you angry?" Kazuma said.

"I'm aroused and frustrated, Kazuma. But I'm not angry." She held her arms out toward him.

"Er- Yugiha is walking back."

"Oh for the love of-"

Frantic knocking on the door.

"Kazuma-san!" Yugiha's voice was panicked. "Kazuma-san! The Yatogami fell into our grotto!"

"I'll take care of it," Kazuma said. Bishamon huffed and rolled over.

xXx

.

Yato was drinking a beer and bathing in Veena's spring when Kazuma stepped forward.

"Yato. What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kazuma said.

"Whoa, Kazuma. You look pissed," Yato said.

"What are you doing here? Where is Yukine? Why aren't you back at home?"

"Ah, I kinda got smushed by a phantom." Yato raised his arm and showed him the blight. "Kofuku's bathwater is frickin freezing, and since we were neighbors, I just thought-"

"You just thought trespassing on our property would be the most prudent course of action?"

"Whoa. You really are pissed," Yato said. "What's with the face, Kazuma? Did I interrupt your makeout session or something?" Kazuma's eyes narrowed.

"Oh crap!" Yato said. "I did!" Kazuma sighed, tragically.

"Be that as it may, Yato. You really shouldn't be trespassing on Veena's grounds. If you catch her in the wrong mood, she'll be liable to do you serious bodily harm."

"I bet you want her to do _you_ some serious bodily harm," Yato said.

"Yato-"

"Kidding!" Yato said. "Geez, Kazuma, lighten up. What's the matter with you, anyway? You're even more uptight than usual."

"My apologies, Yato," Kazuma sighed. "It's just that lately Veena and I have been having difficulty finding a little privacy."

"Well why dontcha just lock the door?" Yato said.

"It's not that simple," Kazuma said.

"Yo Kazuma. You know, Kofuku and Daikoku have this system where she puts a sock on the doorknob when they're doing it. Maybe you and the nympho can do something similar?"

"Put a sock over the doorknob?"

"Yeah. You know, 'Getting Laid. Do Not Disturb.'"

"I doubt Veena would approve of something so crass." Kazuma sighed, heavily. "It's just the last few times we've tried to be intimate, we're always interrupted. I don't want to be petty, but it's unbelievably frustrating to be mid-coitus and then having to stop because someone has broken into our grotto."

"Mid-coitus?" Yato echoed. He rubbed his neck. "Wow, my bad."

They stared at each other, silently.

"Isn't your junk really sticky right now?" Yato said.

"Dammit, Yato-"

"Don't get all embarrassed, Kazuma! I was just wonderin'- it's not like you had time to stop and take a shower!"

"I wiped," Kazuma said, acidly. Yato raised his hands.

"Don't get pissed, it was a legitimate question!"

"Goodnight, Yato."

"Yo, I can still bathe here, right?"

"I said _goodnight_."

Kazuma stalked back to the bedroom. Veena was already asleep. Quietly, he showered and cleaned himself, before slipping under the covers next her.

"Was that Yato?" Her voice was thick with sleep.

"It was." He tucked his face into her shoulder, hugging his arm across her torso. "He was blighted by a phantom."

"Mm." She was already falling asleep. He felt her breathing deepen.

Early morning, just before the sun rose, he felt her nudging her chin against his chest. Somehow during the night they had shifted positions so that she was lying on top of him.

Morning sex was quick but reliable sex; he was always hard in the mornings and she had always taken that as an invitation, and though he preferred to be kissed and held and slowly inch their way toward lovemaking, in the mornings they didn't have the luxury of time. She kissed his jaw and shifted her nightgown, while he dutifully lifted his hips and slid down his pants.

She started on top, but soon enough he rolled her onto her back and pumped mindlessly. She felt warm and good and he came quickly, his breathing harsh and ragged. Wordlessly he lowered himself to finish her off, mouthing her clit as her wetness smearing messily against his jaw and chin.

The sun wasn't out yet; usually when they finished, it would be time to get up and get dressed and head to another meeting, or else split up and go about their work before reconvening for a mid-morning briefing. But it was early now, and after they cleaned themselves they sank back into bed. They still had a few more hours before needing to get up.

"Veena?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think about taking the day off?"

Bishamon rolled over to look at him. "Aren't we meeting about the branch shrines today?"

"It can be postponed." He traced a circle on her shoulder, thoughtfully. "We're caught up on all our documentation for the week."

"What about our patrol? It's too short notice to have another war god cover for me."

"We can ask Yato," Kazuma said.

"Ugh," Bishamon said.

"You know he has the time. I'm sure if I gave him five yen, he'd happily take our request."

"But our territory is huge. And it's just the two of them."

"Yukine is a very capable guide. They can manage, I assure you."

Bishamon looked at him, thoughtfully.

"You know, you've never asked for a day off, not in all the years we've been together."

"I just want to spend more time with you," Kazuma said. She smiled.

"You just want to make love to me without being interrupted."

"Well, that too." He smiled, shyly.

"Okay," she said.

"Really?"

"Really." She cuddled against him. "Ask Yato if he would cover tomorrow's shift, too. We can make a long weekend of it. He owes me for using my grotto."

xXx

.

The spring Kazuma took Veena to was secluded, hidden within a bamboo grove. Each room was equipped with a private outdoor bath, and the rooms themselves were simple, with sliding rice paper doors and tatami mats.

"This makes me nostalgic," Veena said. She looked around the room, smiling.

"Nostalgic?" Kazuma set down their bags in the corner.

"Remember the time when all houses looked like this?" She sat beside him, leaning against his shoulder. "I remember sharing the futon with you, when it was just the two of us."

"I remember that," Kazuma said. She was lonely then, and still grieving. He thought it best not to remind her, though.

"When was it that you decided to stop sleeping in my bed?" Veena said. "Was it a decade? A century?"

"Three decades," Kazuma said. "Thirty-five years, to be exact. You named your first shinki five years into the fourth."

"I missed sleeping next to you, you know," Veena said. Kazuma smiled and pressed a kiss behind her ear.

They kissed. Tenderly, he leaned her backwards so she was lying on the futon, kissing her gently and carefully unbuttoning the front of her shirt.

They never had time to take things slowly, so now he relished the feel of her body beneath his hands. In the dark, he unwrapped her like a present, untangling her arms and legs and peeling back the layers of her clothes. His mouth latched onto the side of her breast and climbed up to her nipple, like a vine. He laved her gently, prodding the tip of her nipple with his tongue.

Her breathing was pleasured, heavy, when he pulled off the rest of his clothes and kissed her full on the mouth. Quietly he dragged his hand down her leg and gently coaxed her knees apart, tracing little circles along her inner thigh that drew in closer and closer. Her breath hitched when he made contact - the pad of his middle finger stroking along her clit.

Her body arched. Her pelvis ground against his hand. Gently he slipped his fingers inside her and fingered her gently, rotating his wrist and curling his fingers toward her navel. The muscles in her legs tightened. He circled her throbbing clit with slippery fingers.

He kneaded her breast with his other hand, palmed the soft fullness, gently rolling the pad of his thumb on her nipple. She moaned softly, tilting her pelvis up to grind against his fingers. He kissed the side of her hip, reverently.

"Kazuma," she said. Her voice was a breathy whisper. "Will you...go down on me?"

His lips tugged in the faintest trace of a smile. "I was about to."

He closed his mouth over her, then gently sucked on the fleshy nub.

She gasped and threw her hand back, grabbing the bedsheet in a tight fist and arching against his mouth.

He licked her slowly and painstakingly, sucking lightly and kissing her wet, pink lips. His mouth and chin were sloppy with saliva and fluids. He licked and suckled and tasted salt.

A suck. A soft, prodding motion. Another suck. Her hips were rocking in time with his ministrations, her muscles tensing beneath his hands. A suck. Her breathing tightened. Her hands fisted the bedsheets. A suck. An audible groan as he flicked his tongue over the tender nub. A suck. A growing, crescendoing moan.

She pitched forward, jerking involuntarily. Her body spasmed; her toes curled. She made a soft, helpless sound, then fell back onto the futon, tangles of damp hair sticking to her skin.

Carefully, he moved between the soft flesh of her thighs and positioned himself at her entrance. He pressed his hips forward until just the head entered her, his body parallel to hers, before sinking all the way inside her.

She quivered. He pressed a kiss against her jaw and moved with needy, lengthy strokes. She arched her hips and he pulled her legs over his shoulders, bending forward and thrusting deeper.

Pleasure built, gathering in his cock, in the feel of her around him, hot and slick and yielding, the base of his cock sliding against her clit with every stroke.

He moved faster, spurred by her heels digging against his back, and her hot mouth found the side of his jugular, sucking greedily. Her hair was pressed against his face, tangling in with the sheets and between his fingers, and as he pushed himself up on his arms for traction, her hair got knotted between the heels of his hands.

He came after one harsh thrust, cock pulsing and emptying inside her.

She came a few moments after he did, the contractions of her inner walls milking him, gently.

He was exhausted and happy, dropping heavily onto the side of the futon and resting his head against a pillow. Her lips pressed gently against his forehead and he smiled, tilting his head up by increments until his lips brushed against hers.


	39. Tether (END)

.

.

There was a time she kissed him once, before they were lovers.

It was a few weeks after the slaughter of the Ma clan. Her wounds were mostly healed, but she still found great comfort sitting by him. Hundreds of names were ripped away from hers in an instant, but Kazuma's name remained a bright, shining constant. During bad days she would trace the mark on his hand with trembling fingers, the tears pricking her eyes as she'd lift his hand to kiss his mark. He didn't know what to do with her, then. Just watched her cry, suffering in silent agony.

"Will you stay with me?" she would ask. She didn't like to be alone, then. Silently Kazuma would kneel by her pallet while Bishamon would lay her head in his lap, and quietly he would card his fingers through her hair, stroking her scalp, gently. Sometimes she would fall asleep like this, her arms circling his thighs and her cheek pressed against his lap. Usually when this would happen, he would carefully remove himself from beneath her, gently placing her head on a pillow and quietly slipping through the rice paper door.

"Kazuma," she said one day, as he was gently laying her head back down on the pillow. "Will you hold me?"

"Bishamon-sama?"

Her eyes cracked open. She smiled at him, weakly.

"Please?" she said.

Silently he nodded, then gingerly laid down next to her.

All at once, she cupped her body against his, and the first thing that struck him was how soft she was. She fitted her body against the curve of his neck, and he could feel her warm breath fanning against his skin.

She was kissing his neck. It took a moment for Kazuma to process. She kissed his neck softly, rubbing her mouth against his collarbone and pressing her body against him.

Her eyes were half-lidded, bloodshot and glazed over, and when she kissed him, it was with fatigue and sorrow, lying heavily on top of his body. He didn't know what to do at first, but gradually hesitance gave way to something wetter, hungrier. He kissed her and he felt her hand sliding over the ponytail holding up his hair.

"Wait," Kazuma said. His voice was a ragged whisper. "Bishamon-sama. Wait. Wait."

"Please," she said. She kissed him open-mouthed, rocking her pelvis against that stiff knot of arousal that had hardened between them. "Please. I want you to touch me."

" _Master,_ " Kazuma said, and she reared up as if she had been struck. Whatever fog of half-sleep that had clouded her judgment lifted. Hesitantly, she unhooked her legs from around his hips, and Kazuma sat up shakily, pulling a pillow over his lap. His chest was exposed and his ponytail had come undone, and his hair fell loosely over his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she said. She wasn't looking at him. "I was lonely and I wanted to touch you."

"I know," Kazuma said, quietly. "But Bishamon-sama. I don't want you to do something you'll later regret."

She closed her eyes, a single tear spilling. Dully she nodded and leaned against him.

"Thank you, Kazuma-kun," she said, softly. She rested her head back on his chest.

He never hated himself more than at that moment. He loved her. He wanted nothing more than to gather her close, kiss her eyes and brush back the tracks of her tears. But the fact remained, she was vulnerable and he was the one who betrayed her.

She fell asleep on his chest, her hand a loose curl against his shoulder.

xXx

.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, centuries later in a darkened Near Shore hotel room. Kazuma had been holding her,curling his body against her back and gently combing his fingers through her hair. Somehow, the decor of the room had brought back old memories, and he found himself remembering the bad times - how he held her those first, early nights, exactly like this.

"I was just remembering the old days," Kazuma said, quietly. She reached her hand up over her shoulder to squeeze his fingers, comfortingly. He smiled against her nape. "I never thought we would end up like this."

"Like what?" Bishamon said. She shifted to look at him.

"Together," Kazuma said. "Intimate."

"We've always been intimate, Kazuma. I don't think I understand what you mean."

"I-" Kazuma shook his head and laughed softly. "Veena we're naked."

"Oh I see. You're talking about sex."

"Yes," he said, and he hugged her closer, smiling and kissing her hair.

"You know, we could have been doing this much sooner," Bishamon reminded him. "Remember that time I kissed you before? You rejected me spectacularly, if I recall."

"I was feeling guilty. I didn't want to take advantage of you."

She turned to kiss him, the sheets tugging around her body as she moved.

"You're hard," she said, smiling. Their faces were close. He smiled back at her.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"No."

They kissed. He slipped inside her easily, his body facing hers.

"This is a good weekend," Bishamon said, smiling. He smiled against her jaw, rocking gently.

Later that night, he fell asleep spooning her from behind, his face burrowed against the back of her neck and his arm curled protectively around her. His hair fell in messy tangles over his forehead, and his eyes were two closed crescents, fluttering gently as he breathed.

She rolled to face him. His sleeping face was peaceful, almost boyish, and tenderly, she fluffed his hair with her fingertips, moving to press a soft kiss against his cheek. He smiled, sleepily hugging her to his chest. She nudged her forehead against his chin and rubbed her mouth against his collarbone.

She turned around so that they were spooning again, pulling his arm around her chest and pressing her lips against his knuckles. In the dark, she could still make out the markings of his name in the soft moonlight, which she traced reverently with the pads of her fingers.

They had to go back to Takamagahara tomorrow. The other shinki will probably have questions, and no doubt Yato gleefully filled the others in with pointless gossip. But for now she was happy to stay with him like this, pressed against the warmth of his body and feeling as if she were already home.


End file.
